Achraf Hakimi officially became the African player with the most appearances in World Cup history after reaching the milestone of 12 matches for Morocco.
Achraf Hakimi has officially become the African player with the most appearances at the World Cup .
On the morning of June 20th, by playing in the 1-0 victory against Scotland in Group C of the 2026 World Cup, the PSG defender officially made his 12th appearance at the biggest football event on the planet, surpassing the record of two legends, Francois Omam-Biyik (Cameroon) and Asamoah Gyan (Ghana).
Before this year's tournament, Hakim had 10 appearances. He equaled the record of 11 appearances held by his predecessors after the 1-1 draw with Brazil on June 14th, and officially took sole possession of the top spot after the match against Scotland.
The record-breaking journey of the 1998-born star began at the 2018 World Cup in Russia when he started all three group stage matches. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the defender continued to play a pivotal role, playing every game and making a significant contribution to Morocco's miraculous run to the semi-finals. At the tournament in North America, he maintained his irreplaceable position in the North African team's tactical scheme.
At 27 years old, the Moroccan player still has many opportunities to further widen the gap and set even more unbreakable records in the future. Now, he and his teammates will look forward to their clash with Haiti on June 25th.
Video of Brazil's unfortunate missed opportunity at the end of the first half: Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou made an excellent save after Paqueta's improvised shot in the 45+2 minute of the match between Brazil and Morocco in Group C of the 2026 World Cup on the morning of June 14th.
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