Azzedine Ounahi struck his first World Cup goals and substitute Soufiane Rahimi added a late third to send Morocco to the 2026 quarter-finals and end Canadas history-making run as the co-hosts went out in Houston. Les Rouges dominated the first half and were unfortunate not to go ahead when Bono, who had earlier kept out Jonathan Davids shot from a tight angle, thwarted Tani Oluwaseyi in a one-on-one.Morocco lost three-goal top scorer Ismael Saibari to injury before the break but went ahead five minutes after half-time when Girona midfielder Ounahi arrived unmarked to meet Achraf Hakimis free-kick just outside the box and sweep a precise low finish beyond goalkeeper Maxime Crepeaus dive.Bono pushed Tajon Buchanans long-range drive away before Brahim Diaz completed a surging run with a clever turn and pass to tee up Ounahi, who fired in with eight minutes remaining from inside the penalty area.Diaz supplied Rahimi, who had headed against the crossbar shortly beforehand, to slot in eight minutes into added time as Morocco advanced in style to a meeting with France or Paraguay, who face each other in Philadelphia on Saturday (22:00 BST).Table of ContentsMorocco vs Canada: Atlas Lions progress at World CupWorld Cup 2026: Canada hard luck vs MoroccoWorld Cup 2026: Canada team vs MoroccoWorld Cup 2026: Morocco team vs CanadaMorocco World Cup fixturesWorld Cup 2026: Canada vs Morocco statsMorocco vs Canada: Atlas Lions progress at World CupThe first African side to reach the semi-finals with their thrilling run in 2022, Moroccos draw with Brazil on their way to taking seven points in the group stage and last-32 win over the Netherlands made their underwhelming first-half display a surprise.Jesse Marschs team will go down in the record books for their countrys third appearance at the finals, securing the nations first-ever win at a World Cup tournament with a 6-0 thrashing of Qatar on matchday two before knocking out South Africa in the last 32.Marsch had described Morocco as a near-flawless team in the build-up and the reigning African champions superior quality and experience told during the second half, bringing their opponents memorable campaign to a creditable end.World Cup 2026: Canada hard luck vs MoroccoFormer Leeds United forward Lucy Ward said the contest certainly hadnt been a 3-0 game. But when it counts when youre in front of goal Morocco just had that quality that Canada [didnt], Ward told ITV.Its such hard luck for Canada theyd given everything. Theyve done brilliantly, theyve come so far in this World Cup and under Jesse Marsch.But this is where it ends. Canada were pushing forward and leaving lots of space. [The goals were] three great finishes.[Canada] gave everything but it was not quite enough. Morocco found a little bit more quality during the second half. Canada could not have given any more.World Cup 2026: Canada team vs MoroccoMarsch made three changes to his starting side from the win over South Africa, bringing in Niko Sigur, Lucas De Fougerolles and Ali Ahmed.Derek Cornelius, Nathan Saliba and Liam Millar moved to the bench, with Alphonso Davies not yet fit to be involved as the captain continued his recovery from a hamstring injury.Canada starting XI: Maxime Crepeau, Alistair Johnston, Luc De Fougerolles, Moise Bombito, Richie Laryea, Tajon Buchanan, Niko Sigur, Stephen Eustaquio, Ali Ahmed, Jonathan David, Tani OluwaseyiCanada Substitutes: Dayne St. Clair, Alfie Jones, Joel Waterman, Mathieu Choiniere, Cyle Larin, Liam Millar, Derek Cornelius, Jacob Shaffelburg, Owen Goodman, Alphonso Davies, Jonathan Osorio, Promise David, Nathan Saliba, Jayden NelsonWorld Cup 2026: Morocco team vs CanadaMorocco boss Mohamed Ouahbi made a change in defence, introducing Redouane Halhal for Chadi Riad, who had a knee injury.Morocco starting XI: Yassine Bounou, Achraf Hakimi, Issa Diop, Redouane Halhal, Noussair Mazraoui, Brahim Diaz, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Azzedine Ounahi, Neil El Aynaoui, Bilal El Khannouss, Ismael SaibariMorocco substitutes: Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti, Sofyan Amrabat, Marwane Saadane, Chemsdine Talbi, Soufiane Rahimi, Munir El Kajoui, Zakaria El Ouahdi, Samir El Mourabet, Gessime Yassine, Amine Sbai, Chadi Riad, Youssef Belammari, Ayoub El Kaabi, Ayoube Amaimouni-Echghouyab, Anass Salah-EddineMorocco World Cup fixturesHeres when Morocco will be in quarter-final action, as well as how to watch in the UK.DateVenueBST start timeETPTThurs, July 9Boston21:0016:0013:00World Cup 2026: Canada vs Morocco statsCanada were appearing in the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time in their history and had scored in their previous six matches across all competitionsJesse Marschs side recorded 100 final-third pressures in the first half against South Africa, which was the highest figure in a World Cup match since detailed data collection began in 2010Marsch was aiming to become the first American manager to progress from more than one knockout tie at the World Cup, as well as the first to win three games in the competitionThis was Canadas sixth meeting with Morocco in all competitions, going winless across each of the previous four (D1 L3)They have only faced Scotland (6) and Iceland (5) more times in their history without ever winningExcluding finals and play-off matches for third place, Morocco have progressed from seven of their last nine knockout ties at major tournaments (World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations)Morocco are unbeaten in their last 10 matches in all competitionsThey completed 801 passes against the Netherlands in the previous round, becoming only the second team after Spain to exceed 800 passes in a World Cup match since modern data tracking beganThe Atlas Lions have never lost to Canada in senior mens international football and won the fixture 2-1 at the 2022 World CupThat win was their first-ever meeting with a CONCACAF nation at the World Cup, proceeding to beat Haiti 4-2 during this years group stage Topics 2026 FIFA World Cup Canada men's national soccer team FIFA World Cup Morocco National Football Team World Cup World Cup 2026 Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read Canada v Morocco: World Cup 2026 live text commentary, updates, goals and stats as it happened Jon Fisher 4th July, 2026 England vs Mexico: World Cup 2026 confirmed time and full details after talks over game being moved, latest news and why football bosses wanted fixture kick off rescheduled to Sunday Ben Miller 4th July, 2026 World Cup 2026 live: Real concern for Morocco vs Canada as crestfallen Atlas Lions hero Saibari suffers early injury in last-16 tie Ben Miller 4th July, 2026 Canada v Morocco: Confirmed line-ups for World Cup round-of-16 clash Jon Fisher 4th July, 2026 FIFA World Cup 2026: Full France fixtures, results, schedule, confirmed squad, next match, kick off times Ben Miller 4th July, 2026 Kylian Mbappe: World Cup 2026 playing schedule, fixtures, kick off times, where to watch, confirmed news updates and full France squad Ben Miller 4th July, 2026
