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Who: Netherlands vs Morocco
Content: 2026 FIFA World Cup – Round 32
Location: Monterrey Stadium, Mexico
Date and time: Monday June 29th 7pm (Tuesday 01:00 GMT)
How to follow: Get everything ready on Al Jazeera Sports from 22:00 GMT before the live text commentary stream.
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The Netherlands will face Morocco in a clash of two in-form top 10 teams in a close round of 32 match on Monday in Monterrey, Mexico.
Both star-studded teams put in impressive performances in the group stage, showing their attacking threat.
The Netherlands have a strong knockout record, having won seven of the last 10 World Cup finals since 2010. However, as history has shown, African champions Morocco are capable of pulling off a spectacular upset. The most famous of these was defeating Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the quarter-finals of the 2022 Qatar tournament.
Although the two teams are not necessarily familiar foes, there are quite a few common ties as Morocco have three Dutch-born players on their squad and top scorer Ismael Saibari plays in the Dutch league.
Here’s what you need to know about the Netherlands vs. Morocco knockout tie.
How did the Netherlands reach the Round of 32?
The Netherlands were held to a 2-2 draw by Japan in the first match of the tournament, but defeated Sweden 5-1 in the second match. They won the first round against Tunisia 3-1, securing their place at the top of Group F.
The Dutch scored 10 goals in three games, with Brian Bobby scoring three and Crisencio Somerville and Cody Gakpo scoring two each. Virgil van Dijk and Jan Paul van Hecke also scored one goal each, while Denzel Dumfries and Ryan Gravenbirch each provided two assists.
Morocco game was ‘too early’: Dutch coach Koeman
Dutch coach Ronald Koeman is expecting a thrilling match in Monterrey, but believes the match was premature for both teams, who are both expected to do well in North America.
“It’s big for this game to take place now, because we are both teams that should go beyond this stage,” Koeman said.
“This is a very important match between two teams who want to go as far as possible in the tournament and I would say it is a little too soon for a match of this nature to happen at a World Cup.”
Nevertheless, Koeman insists his side, seventh in the FIFA world rankings, will adopt an aggressive approach against Morocco, who are ranked one place above them in sixth place, with both countries aiming to stay alive in football’s top prize race.
How did Morocco make it to the last 32?
Morocco started the season by holding Brazil to a 1-1 draw, then defeated Scotland 1-0 in their next match. They defeated Haiti 4-2 in their final group match, securing their place in Group C in second place behind Brazil on goal difference.
Ismael Saibari accounted for three of Morocco’s six goals in the group stage, while Sufian Rahimi, Achraf Hakimi and Gessim Yassin also scored one each. Real Madrid attacking midfielder Brahim Díaz provided two assists.
If Saibari, who plays for Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, scores against the Netherlands, he will equal Cameroon’s Roger Milla’s record of four goals and become the all-time leading African scorer in World Cup history.
Morocco introduce new mentality in knockout matches
Morocco’s unbeaten record in the group stage has raised expectations, but coach Nabil Ouabi believes the result will mean nothing when the final round against the Netherlands begins.
“In the last three games we have shown that we are capable of producing good performances on the pitch and that we have strong personalities on the pitch,” Ouabi told reporters on Sunday.
“But tomorrow’s game (Monday) will be different and will require different solutions. That is the mindset we will go into the game.”
Ouabi’s team has already become part of an elite group, becoming the third African nation to reach the finals of consecutive World Cups, after Nigeria (1994 and 1998) and Ghana (2006 and 2010). Morocco’s best performance at the World Cup came in 2022, when they became the first African and Arab team to reach the semi-finals.
Netherlands vs Morocco prediction
Opta’s supercomputer calculated that the Netherlands had a 45% chance of winning the match in regulation time, while Morocco had a 26% chance of winning.
There is a 29% chance that the game will go to overtime or penalties.
Who will the winner face in the round of 16?
The winner of the Netherlands-Morocco match will face Canada in the Round of 16 after defeating South Africa 1-0 in the first leg of the Round of 32.
Netherlands vs Morocco: Kick-off time, TV channels
Netherlands: NPO 3, NPO 1, nos.nl (Tuesday 3am CET) Morocco: beIN SPORTS, beIN SPORTS CONNECT (Tuesday 2am BST) UK: ITVX, ITV1, STV Player, STV (Tuesday 2am BST) USA: FOX, FOX One, Telemundo App, Telemundo Network, Peacock, (9pm ET)
To see the TV listings for your country, visit the FIFA TV listings schedule here.
Netherlands vs. Morocco: head-to-head
Monday’s match will be the second time the Netherlands and Morocco will meet at the World Cup, and the first time since 1994. This time, the Netherlands won 2-1.
Following their victory over Tunisia, the Netherlands remains undefeated (one win, one loss) in six games against African opponents at the World Cup. They have scored at least two goals in each of their five wins, but this will be the first time they will face an African team in the finals.
Netherlands vs Morocco: Team news
No injuries were reported at either camp.
Netherlands expected lineup
(4-3-3): Verbruggen (goalkeeper). Dumfries, van Haacke, van Dijk, van de Ven. Grabenberg, De Jong, Lijnders. Maren, Blobby, Gakpo
Morocco’s predicted lineup
(4-2-3-1): Bounow (Goalkeeper). Hakimi, Diop, Riyad, Mazraoui. El Ainaoui, Bouadi; Díaz, Ounahi, El Cannous. Saibari
