PHILADELPHIA — Morocco and France advanced to the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after winning their Round of 16 matches on Saturday, eliminating co-host Canada and Paraguay respectively to become the first teams through to the tournament's last eight.
Morocco defeated Canada 3-0 at Houston Stadium in a performance highlighted by a second-half brace from Azzedine Ounahi before substitute Soufiane Rahimi added a stoppage-time goal. The victory ended Canada's World Cup campaign on home soil and sent the Atlas Lions into the quarter-finals for the second consecutive World Cup knockout stage.
Later in Philadelphia, France secured a 1-0 victory over Paraguay through a second-half penalty converted by captain Kylian Mbappé. The result extended France's bid for another World Cup title and set up a quarter-final meeting with Morocco.
According to FIFA's official knockout bracket, the winners of the Paraguay-France and Canada-Morocco ties were scheduled to meet in the first quarter-final on July 9 in Boston.
The two Round of 16 matches marked the start of the knockout phase following the completion of the expanded tournament's group and Round of 32 stages. Morocco advanced after eliminating the Netherlands on penalties in the previous round, while France booked its place by defeating Sweden. Paraguay reached the last 16 after overcoming Germany in a penalty shootout, and Canada progressed by defeating South Africa.
The Round of 16 continues on Sunday with Brazil facing Norway at New York New Jersey Stadium before Mexico hosts England at Mexico City Stadium. Monday's schedule features Portugal against Spain in Dallas and the United States meeting Belgium in Seattle, while Tuesday's remaining fixtures pair Argentina with Egypt and Switzerland with Colombia to complete the quarter-final lineup.
The 2026 tournament, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, is the first men's World Cup featuring 48 teams. The expanded format introduced an enlarged knockout bracket, with the Round of 16 following an additional Round of 32 before the quarter-finals.
