Live coverage and text updates as cohosts Canada play Morocco in the round of 16 knockout stage.
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The Bayern Munich left-back played the final 15 minutes of the last-32 win over South Africa in his first appearance since sustaining a hamstring injury in early May.
He immediately set up Promise David for a shot just outside the left post and provided a boost to the Canadians.
“I thought he had a good impact on the game and, more than anything, what you saw is that South Africa really respected him when he came in,” Marsch said.
“So, we will be thinking about how to use Alphonso again in this game, whether from the start or off the bench.”
Davies has 15 career goals for Canada and has reached such a status that he is featured in a collection of McDonald’s World Cup cups with the likes of David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Lamine Yamal and Christian Pulisic.
Ismael Kone is out with a broken ankle. Captain Alphonso Davies played his first minutes at the tournament in the last game as a 75th-minute substitute and could be available to start against Morocco, but may end up featuring from the bench again as he works his way back to full fitness.
Predicted starting XI:
(4-4-2): Crepeau (goalkeeper); Johnston, Bombito, Cornelius, Laryea; Buchanan, Saliba, Eustaquio, Millar; Oluwaseyi, David
Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi has backed playmaker Brahim Diaz to play a leading role against Canada and help his side create organised chaos for their opponents to contend with.
Diaz was a star of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, ending as tournament top-scorer with five goals, but has failed to find the back of the net so far at the World Cup.
Ouahbi said there is much work that Diaz does in a game that goes unrecognised, however, and he is equally important to the team in defence and attack.
“He is also helping a lot on defence,” the coach told reporters in Houston on Friday. “With major players, we are always expecting more from them, but he does not need to be a game-changer every single day.
“He is in a good place and is one of our best players. He is relaxed, and so am I.”
Ouahbi said the Real Madrid forward is crucial to how his side set up for matches.
“We try to create organised chaos through increased mobility. Diaz has the freedom to do this. He has played a lot since the Africa Cup of Nations, maybe he is not as fresh as back then,” the coach said.
“But he has two assists to his name, and hopefully he will start to also score goals.”
Canada: RDS, TSN, Crave (1pm, Eastern Daylight Time)
Morocco: beIN SPORTS (6pm, Morocco Standard Time)
United States: FOX, FOX One, Telemundo App, Telemundo Network, Peacock (1pm, Eastern Daylight Time)
To check the TV listings for your country, head to FIFA’s TV listing schedule here.
يــــــوم الــمــبــاراة 🏟️
منتخبنا الوطني يواجه كندا في ثمن نهائي كأس العالم 2026 🏆
𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙙𝙖𝙮
Our National Team faces Canada 🇨🇦 in the #FIFAWorldCup Round of 16
⏰ | Saturday, 6PM 🇲🇦 - 12PM 🇺🇸#DimaMaghrib pic.twitter.com/1mh3Syjqro
— Équipe du Maroc (@EnMaroc) July 4, 2026
For the first time ever, we play a Round of 16 match at the FIFA World Cup!
🇨🇦 🇲🇦 #CANMNT pic.twitter.com/xoF2o82384
— CANMNT (@CANMNT_Official) July 4, 2026
Revenge also plays no role in preparing for the encounter after Morocco defeated Canada 2-1 in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup, Marsch says.
“There’s not a tonne of motivation for anyone in our camp to say that we lost last World Cup to Morocco and now we need to right that wrong,” he said.
“This is a different time. They’re a different team. We’re a different team. This is a very different moment and we just want to do everything we can to find a way to get the result.”
Canada have notched their first World Cup point and win during the tournament, with Marsch acknowledging his players take on a side that plays with swagger and confidence.
But the return of talisman Alphonso Davies – who played his first minutes at the tournament in the round-of-32 victory over South Africa as a 75th-minute substitute – could boost Canada, with Marsch saying the player would be available.
“They know how big a moment this is,” he said. “I expect their best performance of the tournament, and it would be foolish to expect anything else.”
Cohosts 🇨🇦 Canada take on Morocco 🇲🇦 in a last 16 clash, with the winner playing either France or Paraguay in the #FIFAWorldCup quarterfinals. Who will win? Vote Below 👇
🏆 #FIFAWorldCup
⚽️ LIVE coverage: https://t.co/KWHxOQZjgb
— AJE Sport (@AJE_Sport) July 4, 2026
A thrilling Golden Boot race heats up, France is in scintillating form, and Messi and Argentina squeak past Cape Verde.
Read more here.
The winner of the Canada vs Morocco match will face either France or Paraguay in the quarterfinals in Boston on Thursday.
After winning the trophy in 2018 and losing the 2022 final on penalties, France are hoping to become only the third team in World Cup history to reach three consecutive finals, after West Germany and Brazil.
That remains a long way off, but their performances so far suggest they will take some beating.
Tuesday’s 3-0 defeat of Sweden in the last 32, in which Kylian Mbappe scored twice and Bradley Barcola once, made it four wins in four matches with 13 goals scored.
But the Paraguayans head to Philadelphia with their confidence sky-high after their victory on penalties against Germany – which led to a national holiday being declared back home.
Read the full preview here.
Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s live coverage of Canada vs Morocco in the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
Making only their third World Cup appearance, Canada have captured the imagination of a country more accustomed to celebrating ice hockey heroes than football stars.
The pressure that may have burdened Canada before the tournament has largely evaporated, and no matter what result they get against Morocco, they have broken numerous records – including earning their first World Cup point and winning their first game.
But if Canada have emerged as one of the tournament’s feel-good stories, Morocco arrived with much loftier ambitions.
Four years ago in Qatar, they became the first African or Arab nation to reach a World Cup semifinal, defeating heavyweights Spain and Portugal in their dream run to finish fourth.
Far from being satisfied with that groundbreaking achievement, the Atlas Lions have proved four years later that Qatar was no anomaly, drawing with Brazil before eliminating European heavyweights the Netherlands in the round of 32.
I’m Alex Hoad, and I’ll bring you all the pre-match build-up, analysis and photo coverage of the game.
Adam Hancock will provide the team news as soon as the lineups are announced and take you through the minute-by-minute live commentary.
World Cup cohosts Canada face mighty Morocco in their first-ever last-16 appearance at the FIFA World Cup.
Despite the ups and downs between the two World Cups, Morocco have once again risen as the top Arab and African team.
Full list of teams in the World Cup’s last-16, who they play for a place in the quarterfinals and match start times.
France have been the best team so far at the World Cup, although Paraguay are confident after upsetting Germany.
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