Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi will stand trial in France after the country’s highest court rejected his final appeal against an order sending him to trial over a rape allegation.
The Court of Cassation upheld the decision on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, confirming that Hakimi will face trial before the criminal court in the Hauts-de-Seine department. The decision was reported by AFP, citing a judicial source.
Hakimi, 27, has repeatedly denied the allegation.
Court rejects Hakimi’s final appeal
The case dates back to February 2023, when a 24-year-old woman reported to police that she had been raped at Hakimi’s home near Paris.
The woman told investigators that she had met the footballer on Instagram and later travelled to his home in a taxi arranged by him.
She alleged that Hakimi kissed and touched her without her consent before raping her. She said she managed to push him away and contacted a friend, who later came to pick her up.
Hakimi was charged with rape days later.
In February 2026, an investigating judge ordered him to stand trial before the criminal court in Hauts-de-Seine.
Hakimi challenged that decision, but the Versailles Court of Appeal upheld the order on June 19.
He subsequently appealed to the Court of Cassation, the highest court in France for civil and criminal matters.
Wednesday’s decision was his final legal avenue against the order sending him to trial.
Plaintiff’s lawyer says she seeks justice
Reacting to the decision, the plaintiff’s lawyer, Rachel-Flore Pardo, said her client remained determined to pursue the case.
“After three and a half years of legal battles, after being slandered and dragged through the mud by Achraf Hakimi’s defence, my client is determined to obtain justice; she will fight to the very end,” Pardo said in a statement sent to AFP.
Hakimi’s lawyer, Fanny Colin, did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.
The Court of Cassation’s decision only confirms that Hakimi will face trial; it does not determine whether he is guilty or innocent.
A date for the trial has yet to be announced.