Morocco 4-2 Haiti: Late Substitutes Seal Thrilling World Cup Comeback as Haiti Score Historic First Goals

Morocco secured their place in the Round of 32 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a dramatic 4-2 victory over Haiti at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on June 24, 2026. In a match that will be remembered for Haiti's first-ever World Cup goals and a stunning second-half comeback by Morocco's substitutes, the Atlas Lions twice fell behind before rallying to win. Despite the victory, Morocco finished second in Group C on goal difference after Brazil beat Scotland 3-0 in the simultaneous group finale .

Final Score & Goal Scorers

Morocco 4 – 2 Haiti | Attendance: 68,239 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta

Minute	Scorer	Detail
10'	Yassine Bounou (own goal)	A cross from Lenny Joseph deflected in off Morocco's goalkeeper
39'	Achraf Hakimi	Morocco captain equalized with a composed left-footed finish
43'	Wilson Isidor	Restored Haiti's lead with a strike from outside the box
45'+1	Ismael Saibari	Equalized again for Morocco just before half-time
78'	Soufiane Rahimi	Came off the bench and scored the go-ahead goal with a deflected shot
89'	Gessime Yassine	Sealed the win with a late finish, assisted by Rahimi

Haiti's Historic First World Cup Goals

Haiti had lost their first two group matches (0–1 vs. Scotland, 0–3 vs. Brazil) and had never scored at a World Cup in their history—their only prior appearance was in 1974, where they failed to find the net across three matches . The 10th-minute own goal forced by Lenny Joseph and Wilson Isidor's 43rd-minute screamer were the first two goals Haiti has ever scored in the tournament, a historic achievement for the Caribbean nation .

Key Match Events

The first half was one of the most entertaining of the tournament, featuring four goals and two lead changes . Haiti took a surprise early lead when Lenny Joseph's back-heeled flick forced an own goal from Yassine Bounou . Achraf Hakimi equalized in the 39th minute with a composed finish, but Haiti hit back just four minutes later through Wilson Isidor, who scored a stunning goal from outside the box . Morocco's Ismael Saibari leveled the score in first-half stoppage time, ensuring the teams went in at 2-2 .

The decisive moment came from Morocco's bench. Coach Walid Regragui introduced Soufiane Rahimi, Azzedine Ounahi, and Gessime Yassine in the 70th minute. Rahimi scored in the 78th minute, controlling a flick-on from Chadi Riad before firing a deflected shot into the net . He then capitalized on a defensive mistake to set up Yassine for the clincher in the 89th minute, which was upheld after a VAR check .

Standout Quotes

• Achraf Hakimi (Morocco captain): "It was a crazy match that saw many goals. I am very happy and proud of qualifying. We are proud of qualifying and now we must focus on every game we play."
• Morocco coach Walid Regragui (via AP report): Praised the character of his substitutes, noting the team "showed great mentality to come back twice and then take control."

Superior Player of the Match

The official Michelob ULTRA Superior Player of the Match award for the 2026 World Cup is decided entirely by public fan voting, which opens at half-time and closes at full-time on the FIFA Play Zone or official FIFA App . While FIFA had not published the official award result for this specific match at the time of reporting, multiple reports indicate that Achraf Hakimi won the Player of the Match award for his goal and assist in the victory .

Final Group C Standings

Pos	Team	Pts	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
1	Brazil (Q)	7	3	2	1	0	7	1	+6
2	Morocco (Q)	7	3	2	1	0	6	3	+3
3	Scotland (E)	3	3	1	0	2	1	4	-3
4	Haiti (E)	0	3	0	0	3	2	8	-6

Source: Sporting News , ESPN

How the Result Affected Morocco's Path

Morocco needed to beat Haiti and hope Scotland beat or drew with Brazil to top Group C. Brazil beat Scotland 3-0, so Morocco finished second in Group C on goal difference despite winning . As Group C runners-up, Morocco advanced to the Round of 32 and were drawn against the Group D winner in the knockout phase . Haiti finished bottom of the group with 0 points, becoming the first team eliminated from the 2026 tournament after their second match, but left with the distinction of scoring their first-ever World Cup goals .