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WHO: Canada vs Morocco
That: FIFA World Cup 2026 – Round of 16
Where: Houston Stadium, Texas, USA
When: Saturday, July 4, at noon (17:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 14:00 GMT ahead of our live text commentary broadcast.
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The round of 16 begins Saturday when World Cup co-host Canada faces Morocco in Houston, Texas.
It’s a historic day for Canadian soccer, as the men’s team will play in the round of 16 for the first time in its history, thanks to a dramatic late victory over South Africa.
But in its attempt to extend a dream streak, Canada faces a huge challenge against Morocco, which surprised the Netherlands on penalties to secure its ticket to this round.
The African champions, semi-finalists in the last edition, are undefeated in this year’s tournament and have grown stronger with each match.
Al Jazeera tells you everything about Canada vs Morocco:
How did Canada and Morocco reach the round of 16?
Canada finished second in Group B with four points, earning a victory over Qatar and a draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina. They lost to Switzerland in the last group match. The Canadians beat South Africa 1-0 in the round of 32.
Morocco took second place in Group C with seven points, beating Scotland and Haiti, and tying Brazil. In the round of 32, they scored a late equalizer to force the match into extra time before beating the Netherlands 3-2 in a thrilling penalty shootout.
Can Canada pass the Moroccan test to prolong the dream career?
Canada is the underdog in this round of 16 match, ranking 24 places below world number six Morocco in the FIFA rankings. But after breaking numerous records in the tournament, including his first World Cup point and his first match, his campaign is nothing short of a success.
“Preparing for Morocco is like a horrible, bloody nightmare,” coach Jesse Marsch said. “[But] we want to be here and we hope to be here. So we know that everyone is going to write us off, and that is an opportunity.”
For Morocco, the match against Canada is just another obstacle on the long road they await this summer in North America. Four years after Spain and Portugal became the first Arab and African nation to reach the semi-finals, Morocco arrives with greater ambitions and expectations.
“If we make a mistake, we will go home,” said Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi. “We need to make sure we have all the tools and we’re using the tools in our arsenal to go as far as we can.”
Canada will be wary of talismanic Moroccan striker Ismael Saibari, their top scorer with three goals, and the newly signed Bayern Munich player who also scored the winning penalty that took them to the round of 16.
Canada vs Morocco Prediction
The Opta supercomputer gives Morocco a 52.7 percent chance of winning in regulation, while Canada has a 21.7 percent chance.
The model estimates a 25.6 percent probability that the game will go to overtime.
Canada vs Morocco: start time, TV channel
- Canada: RDS, TSN, Crave (1:00 p.m. ET)
- Morocco: beIN SPORTS (6:00 p.m., Moroccan Standard Time)
- USA: FOX, FOX One, Telemundo App, Telemundo Network, Peacock (1pm Eastern Daylight Time)
To consult the television programming in your country, consult the FIFA television programming here.
Who will face the winner in the quarterfinals?
The winner of the match between Canada and Morocco will face either France or Paraguay in the quarterfinals in Boston on Thursday.
Canada vs Morocco: head to head
The two teams have four matches, with Morocco winning on three occasions, while one match ended in a draw.
Canada is winless against Morocco, which won 2-1 in its last meeting, a group stage match at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Canada vs Morocco: team news
Ismael Kone is out due to a broken ankle. Alphonso Davies played his first minutes of the tournament in the final match as a 75th-minute substitute and could start against Morocco.
No injuries have been reported in the Moroccan camp.
Canada’s planned lineup
(4-4-2): Crepeau (goalkeeper); Johnston, Bombito, Cornelius, Laryea; Buchanan, Saliba, Eustaquio, Millar; Oluwaseyi, David
Morocco’s planned lineup
(4-2-3-1): Bonus (goalkeeper); Hakimi, Diop, Riad, Mazraoui; Bouaddi, El Aynaoui; Díaz, Ounahi, El Khannouss, Saibari
