CAF Hails Hakimi After Historic World Cup Appearance Record for Africa

Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi has been congratulated by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after setting a new record at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, becoming the African player with the most appearances in the competition’s history.

The Paris Saint-Germain defender achieved the milestone during Morocco’s clash with Scotland, taking his total World Cup appearances to 12 and moving past Cameroon’s François Omam-Biyik and Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan, who both previously held the record with 11 appearances each.

Hakimi, 27, entered the tournament with 10 appearances and added to his tally during Morocco’s 1-1 draw with Brazil in Group C before making his record-breaking appearance against Scotland, officially cementing his place in African football history.

CAF celebrated the achievement on X, writing: “A new African benchmark.

Achraf Hakimi now holds the record for the most #FIFAWorldCup appearances by an African player.”

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The statement highlighted the significance of the milestone, which underscores Hakimi’s consistency and long-standing influence for the Atlas Lions on football’s biggest stage.

The right-back featured at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and was also instrumental in Morocco’s historic semi-final run at the 2022 tournament in Qatar, further establishing his reputation as one of Africa’s most reliable performers across generations.