If the Morocco men’s soccer team is going to make a deep run in the 2026 World Cup, it’s going to need superstar defender Achraf Hakimi to be as focused as possible.

This could be a problem, given everything that Hakimi is dealing with outside the soccer field.

Several hours before Morocco’s last World Cup group-stage match against Scotland, a French appeals court confirmed that Hakimi will stand trial in a rape case.

The 27-year-old right back (who recently won the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain for the second straight season) had faced preliminary charges of rape in March 2023, after a 24-year-old woman claimed that Hakimi had raped her at his Paris home.

Hakimi denies any wrongdoing and had appealed a past decision in February. Both sides now await a date for the trial.

This isn’t the first time that Hakimi’s personal life has become public news. His 2023 divorce with Spanish-Tunisian actress Hiba Abouk was massive news, largely because of reports that Hakimi had registered most of his wealth under his mother’s name, which meant it was inaccessible when Abouk filed for a division of assets.

This report was inaccurate. Still, Hakimi and Abouk’s relationship was a huge story for a time.

While these two have been divorced for several years, they remain connected. And Abouk is turning heads with an Instagram post she made June 21, which included a photo of global music sensation J Balvin kissing her on the cheek.

There are also several photos of Abouk posing in a white dress.

To be clear, Abouk has no connection to the rape allegations swirling around Hakimi. But him being back in the spotlight also means the same for her, especially while the World Cup is underway.