Preview: Canada vs Morocco – Latest News, Predicted Line-ups, Team News | 2026 World Cup (07/04/2026)

Last update at 3 July, 2026⏲️ Reading time: 6 minutes

Round of 16 clash between Canada and Morocco.

Canada and Morocco face off in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.

On Saturday evening at 18:00 BST, Canada take on Morocco at the Houston Stadium in the first of the Round of 16 games at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Once again host nation Canada will not be playing in their own country and in the African champions they will face a stern test.

Fans who do not want to miss a single moment can check out our guide on where to watch Canada vs Morocco live and follow every moment of the action from anywhere.

Canada snuck past an unfancied South Africa side in the Round of 32 thanks to a late Stephen Eustáquio strike to continue their historic tournament. The Canadians had never previously won a game at the World Cup but now have two wins under their belt.

Morocco have been a low-key surprise package at the tournament so far, despite reaching the semi-finals in 2022 and winning last year’s African Cup of Nations, albeit in controversial circumstances. A draw against Brazil in their opening game and their elimination of the Netherlands are making people take notice once again.

Latest news: absences, form, team news

Canada will go into the game having had an extra day’s rest and that could prove a key advantage at this stage in the tournament when the games generally start to come around sooner. Both of these sides rely heavily on their first XI and Canada may hope fitness can help cover some of the talent gap.

Canada

Despite their unprecedented success, Canada have had to endure some bad luck on the injury front at this tournament. As well as losing Ismaël Koné in the group stage, Alphonso Davies and Moise Bombito have had to be used sparingly as they return to fitness, while Promise David also arrived at the tournament with fitness concerns.

Against South Africa in the previous round, however, Bombito made his first start of the World Cup. Now, against Morocco, it is expected that Davies will be ready to join him in the starting XI as Canada approach full strength for their biggest test yet.

Morocco

As well as over a day’s less rest, Morocco also have the disadvantage that they had to play extra time and penalties in their Round of 16 elimination of the Netherlands. Mohamed Ouahbi’s side are unbeaten at the tournament, though, and will fancy themselves.

Morocco have no injury concerns and are likely to stick to the same starting XI from the last round.

Teams H2H: head-to-head stats

Canada and Morocco have played each other just once before in competitive action, four years ago at the last World Cup when Morocco beat Canada 2-1 in the group stage on their way to reaching the semi-finals of the tournament. Canada have never beaten Morocco in a senior men’s international.

Previous five meetings:

01/12/2022: Canada 1-2 Morocco (World Cup 2022)
11/10/2016: Morocco 4-0 Canada (International friendly)

Predicted line-ups

Both teams are expected to stick to the tried and tested for this game. The decision to watch out for is if Davies is deemed fit to start for Canada as having the Bayern Munich man available from the off would be a huge boost for Jesse March’s side.

Position	–Canada	–Morocco
Goalkeeper	Maxime Crepeau	Yassine Bounou
Defenders	Richie Laryea Alistair Johnston Derek Cornelius Moise Bombit	Anass Salah-Eddine Achraf Hakimi Noussair Mazraoui Issa Diop
Midfielders	Alphonso Davies Tajon Buchanan Nathan Saliba Stephen Eustáquio	Bilal El Khannouss Azzedine Ounahi Brahim Díaz Neil El Aynaoui Ayyoub Bouaddi
Forwards	Cyle Larin Jonathan David	Ismael Saibari

Tactical analysis: will Morocco’s quality win out?

We have seen from Morocco so far at this tournament that they are most comfortable when counter-attacking and they have the ability to move the ball quickly in transition. Hakimi as a roaming right back provides an unpredictability to their build up and Canada will have to decide how best to deal with that.

Ismael Saibiri is an imposing presence in attack and Canada will have to try not to let him get in behind where he can be so dangerous, as he has proved with his three goals at this tournament. With the talent in their midfield and attack, Morocco may have too much for Canada, especially as this game could be decided by moments of individual quality.

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However, if Canada sit back and invite Morocco to try to break them down, that could disrupt their usual approach and if Canada can find ways to hit them on the counter, that could be their best chance. The key will be to avoid conceding early – as Scotland did against them – as Morocco are well adept at shutting up shop.

Key players to watch

Morocco’s right flank with Hakimi and Diaz up against Davies and Laryea will be a key battleground and that is why Davies’ presence could be key to pinning back Hakimi and stifling his creativity.

Alphonso Davies (Canda)

The 25-year-old Bayern Munich player has endured a frustrating tournament so far, but his big game experience and quality will be vital if Canada are to stand a chance against top-10 opposition like Morocco. This is especially true given that their top threats operate down his side of the pitch.

Achraf Hakimi (Morocco)

Much has been made of how Hakimi is only nominally a right back and Morocco like to give him the freedom to roam and crop up in surprising areas of the pitch. The question for Canada is can Davies neutralise him or even pin him back and force him to stay in position.

Where to watch Canada vs Morocco in the UK and Ireland

In the UK, the TV coverage for the Round of 16 has not yet been confirmed but the game will either be on BBC or ITV and their relevant streaming platforms.

For fans in the Republic of Ireland, the game will be live on RTÉ 2 and the RTÉ Player.

Market insights and probability predictions

Morocco head into the Round of 16 as clear favourites according to the betting markets. Current prices imply a 55.6% chance of a Morocco victory, while Canada are given an implied probability of 21.1%. The draw after 90 minutes is priced at the equivalent to a 28.6% chance.

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Current 2026 World Cup odds also expect a tight, low-scoring contest between two defensively organised sides with under 2.5 goals given a probability of 62%. Morocco's ability to control games and Canada's disciplined defensive structure suggest goals could be at a premium, with many analysts favouring a narrow Moroccan victory rather than a high-scoring encounter.

In the anytime goalscorer market, Ismael Saibari is the shortest-priced selection with a probability of 33.3%. The PSV forward has emerged as Morocco's leading scorer at the tournament with three goals.

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Combination bets also lean towards Morocco progressing in a controlled fashion. Markets favour Morocco to win alongside a relatively low-scoring game, with a 1-0 victory featuring prominently among predicted scorelines. Given Canada's resilience throughout the tournament, another disciplined defensive display is expected, but the markets believe Morocco possess the greater attacking quality needed to edge a closely contested knockout tie.

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