Morocco booked their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-finals with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Canada at NRG Stadium, Houston.
A brilliant brace from Azzedine Ounahi and a late strike from Soufiane Rahimi sealed a convincing win for the Atlas Lions, who will now face the winner of the blockbuster quarter-final clash between France and Paraguay.
The Round of 16 encounter was evenly balanced during a goalless first half, with both teams struggling to create clear-cut chances.
However, Morocco emerged from the interval with renewed intensity and finally found the breakthrough in the 50th minute when midfielder Azzedine Ounahi calmly finished to put the African side in front.
Canada attempted to respond, but Morocco maintained control and continued to threaten on the counterattack.
Ounahi struck again in the 82nd minute, doubling Morocco’s advantage and effectively ending Canada’s hopes of a comeback.
Deep into stoppage time, Soufiane Rahimi completed the scoring in the 98th minute, putting the finishing touch on another outstanding Moroccan performance.
The victory further underlined Morocco’s impressive record against Canada.
The two nations have now met five times, with Morocco winning four matches and drawing one, while Canada are still searching for their first victory in the fixture.
Across those meetings, the Atlas Lions have scored 13 goals and conceded only four, highlighting their long-standing superiority in the head-to-head rivalry.
Their previous World Cup meeting also ended in Morocco’s favour, with the North Africans claiming a 2-1 victory during the group stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Morocco reached the Round of 16 after eliminating the Netherlands in a dramatic penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw after extra time, while Canada edged South Africa 1-0 to secure their place in the knockout rounds.
Now safely through to the last eight, Achraf Hakimi and his teammates await the winner of the highly anticipated showdown between France and Paraguay.
With another composed and clinical display, Morocco continue to establish themselves as one of the standout teams of the tournament and remain firmly in contention for another historic World Cup run.
Credit Photo : FRMF
