HOUSTON (Kashmir English): Morocco defeated Canada 3-0 in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match here on Saturday.
With this victory, the Muslim-majority nation advanced to the quarterfinals of the tournament, making Morocco the first African country to reach the World Cup quarterfinals more than once.
The 3-0 defeat at the hands of Morocco means co-hosts Canada eliminated from the tournament, officially ending their historic run in the Round of 16.
It also means Canada is the first of the host nations to exit the competition.
Canada controlled the first 45 minutes with aggressive pressing and despite big opportunities, they were unable to capitalize.
Tensions ran high, with the umpire showing six yellow cards before halftime.
Morocco also suffered an early blow when star striker Ismael Saibari left injured in the 22nd minute.
Azzedine Ounahi was the first one to score from Morocco to put Morocco ahead 1-0.
As Canada pushed players forward to find an equalizer, Morocco caught them on a lethal counter-attack.
Brahim Díaz drove deep into the Canadian box and found Azzedine Ounahi, who calmly swept home his second goal of the match.
In the final minute of added time, Soufiane Rahimi added a late third goal via another clinical counter-attack to seal the 3-0 victory.
The defeat brought an end to a historic run for co-hosts Canada, who had won their first-ever knockout phase match in a World Cup during the previous round.
The FIFA World Cup quarterfinal
Morocco will now travel to Boston Stadium to face the winner of the France vs. Paraguay matchup in the quarterfinals.
