The stage is all set for the first round of 16 encounter of the World Cup 2026 between Canada and Morocco at the Houston Stadium on Saturday.
Jesse Marsch's side made it to the round of 16 thanks to a 92nd winner Stephen Eustáquio against South Africa in their previous match. They will look to make more history by qualifying to the quarterfinals of the World Cup, however, for that they need to beat the mighty Moroccans.
Morocco avoided going home early after they beat the Netherlands in the shootout. They conceded the opening goal in the 72nd minute of the game but their fighting spirit eventually paid off when Issa Diop headed in the equaliser in the 91st minute of the match. The shootout was low on quality but Morocco did enough to beat their opponents 3-2.
Here's everything you need to know about the game.
How to watch:
The match will be available on ITV in the UK, Fox Sports in the U.S., Zee5 in India and SBS in Australia. You can also follow ESPN's live updates.
Key Details:
Date, kick-off time:
U.S. ET: July 4, Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
UK BST: July 4, Saturday at 6:00 p.m.
India IST: July 4, Saturday at 10:30 p.m.
Australia AEST: July 5, Sunday at 3:00 a.m.
Venue: Houston Stadium
Referee: TBC
Team News
Morocco XI: Bounou; Hakimi, Diop, Halhal, Mazraoui; Bouaddi, El Aynaoui; Diaz, Ounahi, El Khannouss; Saibari
Canada XI: Crepeau; Johnston, De Fougerolles, Bombito, Laryea; Buchanan, Sigur, Eustaquio, Ahmed; J. David, Oluwaseyi
Talking Points
Can Canada shock Morocco?
Canada head coach Jesse Marsch has termed the upcoming game as a free hit. They have gone further than any of their previous teams did at the World Cup and they did it while being one of the hosts. The team's run has excited the nation and the Canadian fans made sure they made all the noise for their players in the first three games.
Marsch has alluded that his team achieved a big objective by making it to the round of 16. To beat Morocco though, one of the best teams in the world, they will need to come up with their best-ever performance. Marsch knows that Morocco will dominate the possession and play aggressively. Canada will have to do well to absorb the pressure with a compact defence, and when they get their chances with the ball, they need quicker transactions and efficient finishing. They did the same against South Africa, who hogged 58 percent of possession, but Canada created better chances and eventually scored right at the death, although they should've taken the lead a lot earlier. This team can move the ball well; they have shown good attacking patterns in previous games. The important thing will be taking those few chances.
Canada deserve their place in the round of 16 and now that they are here, they will want to show that they can push one of the best teams all the way.
Morocco will want a repeat of 2022 World Cup match
Last World Cup, these two teams met in the group stages with Morocco comfortably beating Canada. It was a dream run for Morocco as they went on to the semifinals. This time too, Morocco will want to go on a dream run while beating Canada in the process.
There's no doubt that Morocco will start the match as favourites. They have been excellent so far, not losing any of their four games. They took the game to Brazil and drew 1-1 and in the last game, they outplayed the Dutch and beat them in the shootout. This team doesn't need to do anything different. They have a solid defence with attacking full backs in Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui. They have excellent midfielders in Azzedine Ounahi and 18-year-old sensation Ayyoub Bouaddi while forward Ismael Saibari is in excellent form with three goals for his team. In goal, they have the reliable Yassine Bounou who has already faced a shootout in the tournament and came out as winner.
No matter the opposition, Morocco will be brave on the ball and play a positive style. Manager Mohamed Ouahbi will hope that they will maintain their momentum while avoiding complacency.