Achraf Hakimi on World Cup Call-up: ‘The dream continues’

Hakimi played every match during Morocco’s unforgettable run to the World Cup semifinals in 2022.

Some players poured out long messages after Morocco’s World Cup squad announcement. Achraf Hakimi took a different approach.

After being included in Mohamed Ouahbi’s final 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Morocco’s captain shared a short post on Instagram: “The dream continues.”

This summer will be his third World Cup with the Atlas Lions after already playing in the 2018 and 2022 editions. Back in Russia, he was still a teenager, making his first steps. Now he returns as one of the leaders of a generation that changed Moroccan football history.

Since choosing Morocco at a young age despite being born in Madrid, Hakimi has grown into one of the faces of the national team. He made his senior debut at just 17 and over the years became a symbol of this era.

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Then came Qatar. Hakimi played every match during Morocco’s unforgettable run to the World Cup semifinals in 2022.

Now the challenge is different. Morocco are no longer heading into a World Cup as a team trying to surprise everyone. Expectations are bigger now. The Atlas Lions arrive as Africa’s strongest teams and experts and analysts genuinely believe they can make another deep run.

Where other sent out long statements, three words were enough for the captain to express his pride and determination to honor the Moroccan jersey For him, the dream is far from over.