30 Jun 2026 06:58 BST |
3 min read
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Netherlands have extended their unbeaten record at the World Cup to 16 matches despite their penalty shootout defeat to Morocco in the round of 32.
Ronald Koeman’s side topped Group F after picking up seven points from their three group stage matches, thanks to wins over Sweden and Tunisia and a draw against Japan, but they were still dealt a cruel first knockout fixture.
By virtue of finishing first, they were forced to play Morocco, who finished second in Group C behind Brazil, but are widely regarded as one of the best nations in the world after reaching the semi-finals in 2022 and winning AFCON earlier this year.
Cody Gakpo put Netherlands 1-0 up with a strike in the 72nd minute, however Morocco defender Issa Diop sent the game to extra-time with a 91st minute equaliser, and penalties soon beckoned.
Neil El Aynaoui and Achraf Hakimi both missed their spot-kicks for Morocco, but Justin Kluivert, Quinten Timber and Crysencio Summerville followed suit for Netherlands before Ismael Saibari converted his effort to send Morocco into the last-16.
Netherlands weren’t the first big nation to be knocked out of the tournament, however, with Paraguay beating Germany on penalties, and despite the loss, they have extended their unbeaten run at the World Cup.
“MOROCCO’S MOMENT ONCE AGAIN” 🇲🇦
Ismael Saibari seals it for Morocco and sends them through to the Round of 16 pic.twitter.com/UTMZfVvP0y
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 30, 2026
Netherlands extend World Cup unbeaten run
Penalty shootout defeats count as draws in the official record books, thanks to the fact the scores are level after 120 minutes, and Netherlands are now unbeaten in their last 16 World Cup matches dating back to their loss to Spain in the 2010 final.
Before this tournament, that record belonged to Brazil (13), but Netherlands are now the outright leaders on 16 games unbeaten.
They have won 10 and drawn six of their 16 World Cup games since their narrow 1-0 defeat to Spain in South Africa, and their unbeaten run will continue into 2030.
In the 2014 tournament, they were knocked out by Argentina in the semi-finals after a 4-2 penalty shootout loss, while they failed to qualify entirely for Russia 2018.
Last time out, in 2022, they once again lost to Argentina, with the eventual winners prevailing 4-3 in a quarter-final penalty shootout. And, in 2026, they have been beaten on penalties again – this time by Morocco.
When excluding extra-time, they haven’t been beaten at the World Cup since losing to Portugal in the last-16 in 2006.
Despite this incredible unbeaten record, Netherlands are still yet to win the World Cup, despite having reached the final on three occasions to date.
