Morocco beat Canada 3-0 to become first team into World Cup quarter-finals
Morocco defeated Canada 3-0 in Houston to advance to the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, becoming the first team to do so. Azedine Unai scored twice and Soufiane Rahimi added one more.
Morocco's football team won 3-0 (0-0 at halftime) against Canada in Houston on Saturday, securing their place in the World Cup quarter-finals as the first team to reach that stage.
The first half saw Canada dominate possession but fail to score. In the 50th minute, Achraf Hakimi passed to Azedine Unai, who fired from the edge of the box into the bottom right corner. In the 82nd minute, Brahim Diaz set up Unai again, who placed the ball into the top right corner. In the 85th minute, Rahimi hit the crossbar with a header. Deep into stoppage time (90+8), Diaz played a through ball to Rahimi, who scored from the left side of the box, making it 3-0.
Canada started the tournament with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina, then thrashed Qatar 6-0, but lost to Switzerland 1-2. In the round of 16, Canada beat South Africa 1-0. Morocco drew 1-1 with Brazil, then beat Scotland 1-0 and Haiti 4-2 in the group stage. In the round of 16, Morocco eliminated the Netherlands on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Later on Saturday (midnight Latvian time), France will face Paraguay in Philadelphia, with the winner meeting Morocco in the quarter-finals. This is the first 48-team World Cup, hosted by Mexico, USA, and Canada. Group stage ends on June 27, knockout rounds start June 28. Semi-finals are July 14-15, bronze match on July 18, and final on July 19.
