Familiarity adds spice to Morocco-Netherlands last-32 clash in World Cup
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The Netherlands look to be in good form after the World Cup group stage, where they won two games and drew one to top their group. They face Morocco in the last 32.
PHOTO: REUTERS
MONTERREY – Star-laden Morocco and the Netherlands have the potential to produce a riveting round of 32 tie at the World Cup, underpinned by a societal subtext that adds a healthy spice to the game in Monterrey on June 29.
There is a large degree of familiarity between the two sides, with Morocco having three Dutch-born players – Sofyan Amrabat, Noussair Mazraoui and Anass Salah-Eddine – and their standout performer so far, Ismael Saibari, plying his trade at PSV Eindhoven.
Morocco have drawn extensively on Dutch expertise over the last decade to build a team which reached the semi-finals at the last World Cup and have again impressed by finishing in second place behind Brazil in Group C, but only on goal difference.
Morocco amassed seven points, beating Scotland and Haiti, and played with more pressing intensity and intelligent movement to suggest they are going to be hard to overcome.
“I’m not sure if we’re the favourites in the match against Morocco. It’s a good team with a lot of quality, and they can score easily,” Dutch coach Ronald Koeman told reporters after his side won Group F on June 25 by beating Tunisia.
The Netherlands started slowly with a draw against Japan but have since hit form, scoring five against Sweden and three against Tunisia.
“There are players who love to get on the ball. I’ve got a group of lads that work really well together and have a great team spirit,” added Koeman, who was captain of the team when the Dutch beat Morocco at the 1994 World Cup in Orlando.
However, Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo, who has scored twice in three games, has suffered a devastating personal blow following the announcement by his partner Noa van der Bij that they had lost their unborn son.
The forward has asked for “privacy and space” while the Dutch Football Association said he would be remaining at the team’s World Cup camp in Kansas City.
Back in the Netherlands, there is a large Moroccan community, estimated in 2025 at 430,000, and footballers of Moroccan heritage are prominent in the Dutch game.
Ibrahim Afellay and Khalid Boulahrouz were in the squad when the Netherlands finished runners-up at the 2010 World Cup but other Dutch-born players have chosen to represent Morocco.
Morocco’s squad at this World Cup has Amrabat, Mazraoui and Salah-Eddine, who played for the Netherlands at Under-21 level before switching his international allegiance in 2025.
The tug of loyalty for Dutch-born Moroccans is a contentious point in the Netherlands and former international Rafael van der Vaart, now a plain-speaking television pundit, caused a stir in March with comments about Dutch Moroccan players choosing Morocco.
“I don’t mean to be rude, but all Moroccans here who aren’t good enough to play for the Netherlands go on to play for Morocco. Only (Hakim) Ziyech, I would have liked to have him in the team back then,” he said, having apologised earlier for a remark that Japan players “look alike”.
There is expected to be visible support in Dutch cities for Morocco, which could flare tensions.
Morocco fans have already taken to the streets in the Netherlands to celebrate their team’s success during the tournament, and Dutch police on June 27 issued a plea for calm ahead of the game, which kicks off in Monterrey, Mexico on June 29 (3am Dutch time on June 30). REUTERS, AFP
