The Moroccan national team faces a special challenge as it seeks to continue its journey in the 2026 World Cup when it takes on Canada, which co-hosts the tournament with the United States and Mexico, in the Round of 16. The Canadian team will not be playing on home soil in front of its fans, but it aims for a new surprise against the 'Atlas Lions' in the match set for Saturday in Houston, USA.

Canada, led by American coach Jesse Marsch, hopes to continue the dream and also seek revenge against Morocco, who beat them 2-1 in the group stage of the previous edition in 2022 in Qatar. Marsch and his players are bolstered by high morale after achieving an unprecedented feat by qualifying for the knockout stages for the first time in their history, following impressive results in the group stage. They earned four points with a draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina, a 6-0 win over Qatar, then a loss to Switzerland, before knocking out South Africa with a goal in stoppage time in the Round of 32.

On the other side, the Moroccan team, led by coach Mohamed Ouhbi, has shown strong technical performances in the North American World Cup, impressing everyone after their historic achievement of finishing fourth in the previous edition. The Moroccans started with a tough match against five-time world champion Brazil, which ended in a draw, then won against Scotland and Haiti, before overcoming the Netherlands in a miraculous scenario in the Round of 32 via penalties after scoring an equalizer in stoppage time with a header from defender Issa Diop. Morocco can go into the match with confidence, having advanced in six of their last eight knockout matches in major tournaments.

Jonathan David (right) and Tajon Buchanan are winning cards in Canada's attack (AP)

Both teams are armed with a number of distinguished players in various lines. In Morocco's ranks, goalkeeper Yassin Bounou shines, having excelled in the penalty shootout against the Netherlands, as well as right-back Achraf Hakimi, the Paris Saint-Germain star who won the 2025 African Player of the Year award, and Noussair Mazraoui of Manchester United. Mohamed Ouhbi relies on several distinguished players in midfield and attack to break down the Canadian defense, such as Azzedine Ounahi, Neil El Aynaoui, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Ibrahim Diaz, and Sofiane Rahimi. The spearhead Ismail Saibari remains Morocco's most dangerous weapon, having scored 3 goals in this edition, and will enter the Canada match with high morale after completing his transfer to Bayern Munich from Dutch side PSV Eindhoven hours after scoring the decisive penalty against the Netherlands.

As for Jesse Marsch, he relies on distinguished attacking players such as Jonathan David, Tajon Buchanan, Tani Oluwaseyi, and Promise David, in addition to the team's star Alphonso Davies, the left-back of Bayern Munich who recovered from injury and made his first appearance as a substitute in the previous match against South Africa. Besides Canada's quest for revenge for the loss to Morocco in the 2022 World Cup, the Moroccans also aim to reach the quarter-finals in anticipation of a revenge match against France if they overcome Paraguay, as the 'Roosters' ended Morocco's dream of reaching the final in the previous edition by beating them 2-0 in the semi-finals. The winner of this match will face the winner of the France vs Paraguay match.

France - Paraguay

The French national team relies on its deadly attacking weapons to break Paraguay's resistance and continue its journey in the 2026 World Cup when the two teams meet on Saturday as well. France, the runner-up of the previous edition in Qatar 2022, remains the strongest candidate to win the title this summer, thanks to its deadly attacking weapons and diverse technical capabilities that are the envy of coach Didier Deschamps, who seeks to exit through the big door and win the world title for the second time as a coach after winning it in the 2018 World Cup in Russia before handing over the reins to another coach at the end of this tournament, which will conclude a long career spanning 12 years.

Mbappe and Dembele are powerful forces in France's attack (AP)

Didier Deschamps relies on the team's star, captain, and all-time top scorer, and France's all-time top scorer in World Cups, Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid, who has scored 6 goals, bringing his total to 18 goals in 3 World Cup appearances, and Ousmane Dembele of Paris Saint-Germain, winner of the 2025 Ballon d'Or for best player in the world, who has also scored 4 goals in this edition, along with his Parisian teammate Bradley Barcola, who has also scored 2 goals.

Deschamps' solutions are not limited to the group of scorers; another no less dangerous weapon emerges: Michael Olise, the Bayern Munich winger and assist provider who has made 5 assists in his first World Cup appearance, in addition to other players with very high technical potential such as Desire Doue and Ryan Cherki of Manchester City. All these solutions have turned the French team into a crushing monster that devours its opponents one after another: they scored 13 goals in the first 4 matches. They topped Group 9 with 9 points, achieving a perfect record by beating Senegal 3-1, Iraq 3-0, then thrashing Norway 4-1, before starting the knockout stages strongly with a 3-0 win over Sweden in a one-sided match.

Defensive solutions are also important, but to a lesser extent, as the 'Roosters' rely on distinguished players like the trio of Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba, and Ibrahima Konate in central defense, along with right-back Jules Kounde of Barcelona, and midfield rock Aurelien Tchouameni of Real Madrid. Despite all these deadly weapons, Deschamps warned his players about the difficulty of facing Paraguay, saying: 'They are a cohesive team, characterized by the spirit of South American teams. No team qualifies to the Round of 16 by chance or luck.' Mbappe agreed with his coach, saying: 'Paraguay has proven that we must prepare for the match seriously, and of course our goal is to win against them in the next match.'

Paraguay prepares for the tough match against France (Reuters)

The French caution is due to the stunning upset caused by Paraguay under coach Gustavo Alfaro in the Round of 32, where they eliminated four-time world champion Germany, who lost for the first time in their history on penalties after a hard-fought 1-1 draw in regular and extra time.

At the start of the tournament, Paraguay and its coach were heavily criticized by local media and former stars after a heavy 1-4 loss to the United States in the group stage.

At that time, the Argentine coach Gustavo said: 'Don't shoot at the players. My chest is open to you. Don't lose your players; they will stay with you for years, while I will leave at any time.'

Amid mockery of the Paraguay coach's comments, Alfaro overcame many obstacles and won his bet by achieving a surprise 1-0 win over Turkey in the second round, then a goalless draw with Australia was enough for the team to qualify for the knockout stages, before causing an even bigger upset by eliminating Germany.