Morocco beat co-hosts Canada to reach quarter-finals of World Cup

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Morocco’s Azzedine Ounahi is mobbed by teammates after scoring a goal during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Canada and Morocco in Houston. (The Canadian Press via AP)

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Updated 04 July 2026 22:55

Arab News

July 04, 2026 21:27

HOUSTON: Morocco produced a patient and professional performance to sweep past World Cup co-hosts Canada 3-0 in their Round-of-16 clash on Saturday.

A second-half brace from Azzedine Ounahi and a late Soufiane Rahimi strike on the break saw the Atlas Lions overpower their opponents, who offered little going forward throughout the match.

Less than 24 hours earlier, Egypt had sent football fans around the Arab world into wild celebrations when they beat Australia on penalties in their first-ever World Cup knockout match.

They will now face reigning world champions Argentina in the Round of 16 on Tuesday at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Morocco, however, have been here before. In 1986, they became the first Arab nation to reach the knockout stages before eventually losing to West Germany, while at Qatar 2022 they captured the hearts of millions worldwide with a sensational run to the semifinals, where they lost 2-0 to France.

During Morocco’s glorious run four years ago, they beat this tournament’s co-hosts 2-1 to top a group that also included Croatia and Belgium.

Several stalwarts from that team, such as Achraf Hakimi, Yassine Bounou, Noussair Mazraoui and Azzedine Ounahi, are still pivotal to the team, and they have been joined by the likes of the gifted 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi and new Bayern Munich signing Ismael Saibari, winning penalty hero against the Netherlands in the Round of 32.

To many, Morocco were clear favorites going into the match, and so it proved. They will face the winner of the match between France and Paraguay, being played later on Saturday in Philadelphia.

Topics:FIFA World Cup 2026World Cup 2026 MoroccoMoroccoCanada