The Atlas Lions of Morocco are through to the quarterfinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup following an emphatic 3-0 win over co-hosts Canada in their round of 16 match at the Houston Stadium on Saturday.
Nothing separated the two sides at halftime as underdog Canada successfully contained Morocco’s attacking threat.
However, the Canadians could only hold their ground until the 50th minute when Azzedine Ounahi finally broke the deadlock after firing home a pass from Achraf Hakimi from the edge of the box.
The two teams kept up the pressure afterwards, with Canada coming close on several occasions but failing to score.
On the other end, Ounahi doubled Morocco’s lead in the 82nd minute, firing a pass from Brahim Diaz into the roof of the net to grab his brace before Soufiane Rahimi sealed the victory in stoppage time.
Following their historic semi-final run at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Moroccans are showing the world that the feat was not a fluke.
Morocco will face the winner of the round-of-16 match between France and Paraguay later on Saturday for a place in the semifinals.