Achraf Hakimi, captain of Morocco's national football team and a defender for Paris Saint-Germain, will stand trial for rape after a French court of appeals upheld the case against him on Friday. The ruling, confirmed by the public prosecutor's office in Nanterre — a western suburb of Paris — dismissed a recent appeal by Hakimi's legal team to have the trial dismissed. A date for the proceedings at the criminal court in the Hauts-de-Seine department has not yet been set.
The case centres on allegations that Hakimi raped a then 24-year-old woman at his home in Boulogne-Billancourt, a suburb of Paris, in January 2023. According to a police source, the woman said she met Hakimi on Instagram and travelled to his home in a taxi he ordered for her. She alleged that he kissed her and touched her without her consent before raping her, and that she managed to push him away and contact a friend who came to collect her. She filed a police report shortly afterwards, prompting a preliminary investigation that began in March 2023. An investigating judge ordered a trial in February 2026. Speaking publicly for the first time on Thursday, the plaintiff said she wanted the trial so she could "defend herself, be heard" and have people believe her.
Hakimi, 27, has consistently denied the allegations. Following Friday's ruling, he posted on social media expressing frustration at the process: "I chose to remain silent for years. I believed that maintaining my dignity, being patient, and trusting in the justice system would allow the right decisions to be made." He added that he had been "waiting for this trial since day one" and said he was now eager for the chance to speak. His lawyer, Fanny Colin, said the confirmation of the trial "says nothing about his guilt" and that he remained firm in his defence. The plaintiff's lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, said the ruling gave her client "relief and hope" after years of what she described as being "dragged through the mud" by Hakimi's defence team, and expressed the hope that the trial would help other women and challenge impunity around sexual violence in professional football.
The ruling carries implications beyond the courtroom. Hakimi is currently in the United States with the Morocco squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico. Should Morocco advance to the knockout stages, Hakimi could face difficulties entering Canada or Mexico if matches are scheduled there. Canada's government states it may deny entry to individuals who have "committed or been convicted of a crime". The issue is not hypothetical — Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey was denied entry to Canada last week and missed his country's opening match, also amid pending rape charges to which he has pleaded not guilty. World Cup matches are held across all three host countries until the quarter-final stage, after which all games move exclusively to the United States.
Hakimi is a pivotal figure in Moroccan football, having earned 97 caps since making his international debut at 17 in 2016. He was central to Morocco's historic run to the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup — the first African nation to reach that stage. At club level, he joined PSG from Inter Milan in 2021 and has won back-to-back Champions League titles in the past two seasons. Morocco's current World Cup campaign saw them draw 1–1 with Brazil in their opener before facing Scotland in their second group stage fixture on Friday.