Achraf Hakimi’s legal case has reached another decisive stage.
On Wednesday, September 23, 2026, France’s Court of Cassation rejected the Moroccan international’s appeal against his referral to trial, confirming that he will face proceedings before the Hauts-de-Seine criminal court. The decision closes the available appeal route within the French judicial system against the order sending him to trial.
The Paris Saint-Germain defender has consistently denied the allegations since the beginning of the investigation. The trial date has not yet been set.
The Court Confirms the Trial
The case dates back to February 2023, when a young woman accused Hakimi of rape following a meeting at his home in Boulogne-Billancourt.
Hakimi was placed under formal investigation in March 2023, and the case subsequently continued through several stages of the French judicial system.
In February 2026, an investigating judge ordered that the footballer be sent before the criminal court. His defence challenged that decision, but the Versailles Court of Appeal confirmed the referral in June. Hakimi then took the case to the Court of Cassation, the highest court in France for judicial matters.
On Wednesday, the Court of Cassation rejected his appeal, meaning the trial will now proceed.
Hakimi Continues to Deny the Allegations
Throughout the proceedings, the Morocco captain has maintained that the allegations against him are false.
Following the earlier decision to send him to trial, his lawyer Fanny Colin publicly challenged the evidence relied upon by the prosecution and the investigating authorities.
The defence has pointed to several elements it considers relevant to Hakimi’s position, including questions surrounding certain investigative procedures and the interpretation of psychological assessments.
Hakimi himself has also spoken publicly about the case, saying that he has been waiting for the opportunity to appear in court and present his version of events.
During the 2026 World Cup, after the Versailles Court of Appeal confirmed his referral to trial, he said he had been waiting for the proceedings since the beginning of the case and wanted the opportunity to speak.
A Case That Has Continued for More Than Three Years
According to reporting by Le Monde, the investigating judge's February decision concluded that there were sufficient grounds to refer Hakimi to trial. The Versailles Court of Appeal subsequently upheld that decision in June.
The appeal before the Court of Cassation represented the final judicial challenge available to Hakimi against the referral itself.
With that appeal rejected, the question of whether the case will proceed to trial is now settled.
The Evidence Remains Contested
The case has involved competing interpretations of evidence gathered during the investigation.
The prosecution and investigating authorities have relied on the complainant's account and other elements of the case in supporting the referral to trial. The defence, meanwhile, has challenged aspects of that evidence and presented arguments it says support Hakimi's position.
Those competing arguments will ultimately be examined during the trial itself.
Importantly, the Court of Cassation's decision confirms the referral to trial; it is not a determination of guilt. The allegations will therefore remain matters for the criminal court to examine.
Hakimi’s Football Career Continues Alongside the Case
Despite the proceedings, Hakimi has continued his professional career at the highest level.
The 27-year-old right-back remains a key figure for Paris Saint-Germain and the Morocco national team, having captained the Atlas Lions during the 2026 World Cup. He has also surpassed the 100-cap mark for Morocco, becoming only the second player in the country's history to reach that milestone at the time.
The legal proceedings have therefore unfolded alongside an important period in his football career.
For Morocco, he remains one of the most prominent players of the current generation, while his legal situation is now moving toward its next stage.
The Next Step: A Trial
The Court of Cassation's decision means there are no longer appeals available against the referral order itself.
The next major step will be the scheduling of the trial before the Hauts-de-Seine criminal court. As of September 23, no trial date has been announced.
Until the court proceedings take place, Hakimi continues to contest the allegations against him.
The trial will provide the judicial setting in which the evidence and the competing accounts can be examined in full.
For now, the latest decision marks the end of one stage of a case that began in 2023, and the beginning of another, with the trial itself still to come.