Morocco defeated co-host Canada 3-0 in the round of 16 on July 1 in Houston, advancing to the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup [1, 2, 3]. Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi and midfielder Azzedine Ounahi played key roles, with Ounahi scoring twice in the victory [2, 3]. Morocco entered the match unbeaten in 34 consecutive games across all competitions, including the tournament [2, 4]. Canada earned their first World Cup point and win at the 2026 tournament but struggled against Morocco without their fitness-challenged Alphonso Davies, who was on the bench [1, 3]. Canada coach Jesse Marsch said, "Preparing for Morocco is like a gory, horrible nightmare... we want to be here and we expect to be here." [1].
On July 6, France clinched a narrow 1-0 win over Paraguay in Philadelphia to reach the quarter-finals [5, 6, 7, 8]. Key France players include Kylian Mbappe, who scored seven goals so far in the tournament, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, and Bradley Barcola [5, 6, 8, 9]. France coach Didier Deschamps emphasized the need for attacking efficiency against Morocco, stating, "We have to be efficient, offensively speaking... Morocco are not here to play. They are here to win." [8].
The France vs. Morocco quarter-final rematch of the 2022 semi-final took place in Boston on July 9 [5, 6, 7, 4]. Morocco, missing key striker Ismael Saibari due to injury, lined up in a cautious 4-5-1 formation with Brahim Diaz as lone striker [9, 10]. Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou saved a penalty from Mbappe during the match but Morocco could not score [2, 10]. France won 2-0 with Mbappe scoring one goal before being substituted in the 77th minute due to slight ankle pain [10]. France assistant coach Guy Stephan called Morocco "a well-organised, well-structured team with genuine class," while midfielder Adrien Rabiot said, "In the spells when we did not have the ball... we had nothing to fear from that team." [5, 10]. Morocco manager Mohamed Ouahbi said, "I told the players that they needed to go in with their heads high." [10].
Morocco will now reflect on their tournament run that included reaching back-to-back quarter-finals in 2026 and semi-finals in 2022 [3, 6, 7]. The quarter-final matches ran from July 9, with Morocco's exit marking the end of their World Cup campaign this time [7, 11].
