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The Moroccan national team secured a dominant 3-0 victory over Canada in the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, confidently advancing to the next stage of the tournament. However, the major headline from the match was the historic achievement of attacking midfielder Brahim Díaz, who became the all-time record holder for assists by an African player at World Cup finals. The Real Madrid playmaker delivered another phenomenal performance, orchestrating the "Atlas Lions'" play and sealing his team's triumph with crucial assists.
Díaz now boasts 4 assists, an absolute record for an African footballer at a World Cup. During the clash with Canada, he first provided a perfect through ball for Azzedine Ounahi's second goal in the 82nd minute, and then assisted Soufiane Rahimi for the final 3-0 scoreline in the dying moments of the game. What makes this particularly exceptional is that Brahim Díaz achieved this historic feat within a single World Cup, having previously registered an assist in each of the group stage matches against Brazil and Scotland.
With this performance, the Moroccan star surpassed previous continental benchmarks. The former record for most assists in a single edition was held by another Moroccan, Tahar El-Khalej, who provided 3 assists during the 1998 World Cup in France. More broadly, legendary Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan also had 3 assists throughout his World Cup appearances, but spread across several different tournaments. Díaz not only improved upon these achievements but raised the bar to an entirely new level for all of African football.
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