Morocco are on another fairytale World Cup run. But their latest win over Canada was less beauty, more beast.
The north African side beat 2026 co-hosts Canada 3-0 in the round of 16 in Houston. It was not a pretty performance.
Morocco had just five efforts on goal. That’s the fewest by any team that has won a World Cup knockout match on record. The first half broke another strange record too. It had more yellow cards than shots — a first in World Cup history.
But Morocco got through. As the cliché goes, great teams know how to win ugly.
We now have to call Morocco a great team. And a real contender to win this World Cup.
Morocco are unbeaten at this World Cup. In fact, they’re unbeaten in their last 34 matches across all competitions.
That record has an asterisk. It includes the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations final against Senegal — a win awarded retroactively and still being challenged in court. Still, it’s an impressive streak.
Morocco’s last defeat came in August 2025. They lost 1-0 to Kenya in the African Nations Championship, a competition only for players in Africa’s domestic leagues.
After the first 15 minutes in Texas, Morocco never looked like losing against Canada.
Canada had two early chances. Goalkeeper Bono saved from Jonathan David and Tani Oluwaseyi. For the second straight match, the Atlas Lions didn’t touch the ball in the opposition box for the first quarter of an hour.
But once Morocco settled, they took control. Canada manager Jesse Marsch summed it up: “They were bending a little bit but they didn’t break.”
Both teams have golden generations of talent. On this night, Morocco’s shone brighter.
Canada’s Alphonso Davies was injured and stuck on the bench. Morocco neutralised Stephen Eustaquio’s passing. They squeezed star striker Jonathan David out of the game entirely.
Captain Achraf Hakimi was a constant threat. Many consider him the world’s best right back. He caused problems on the ball and got under Canadian skin off it. Meanwhile, Brahim Diaz claimed two assists. He now has four in World Cups — more than any African player in history.
Morocco manager Mohamed Ouahbi reflected on the game afterward. “The first half was very intense,” he said. “There were a few adjustments to be made at half-time. We were never safe from pressure.”
He added: “What matters is we didn’t change our identity, we didn’t change our game philosophy. We are playing the World Cup which means there will be difficult moments. We have to remember who we are playing for and what we are playing for.”
The win sends Morocco to a second straight men’s World Cup quarter-final. They’ve now progressed through five matches, just like they did in Qatar in 2022.
Morocco have won four World Cup knockout matches total — two in 2022, two in 2026. That’s more than every other African nation combined.
One more win would match their historic 2022 run. In Qatar, they became the first African nation ever to reach a World Cup semi-final.
Morocco are contenders. But there’s a feeling they haven’t been fully tested yet.
Their tournament so far: a draw with Brazil to open. Then a hard-fought win over Scotland, sealed early. Then a wild 4-2 win over an already-eliminated Haiti side.
In the round of 32, they outplayed the Netherlands but needed a stoppage-time header just to survive. Against Canada, they were eventually comfortable — but it wasn’t the kind of performance to silence doubters. Especially with a possible quarter-final against France looming.
BBC pundit Chris Sutton wasn’t fully convinced. “Morocco were just not at their very best, and there are tougher tests to come,” he said. “They surprised me with their lethargy at the start. I don’t know whether there was a bit of arrogance in dismissing the Canada team.”
He continued: “The longer the game went on, the stronger they became. They are devastating on the counterattack. But if France get through and Morocco perform like they did in the first half, they will be crushed.”
Still, no one can deny it. This Moroccan side has a better shot at becoming Africa’s first world champion than any team before them.
Morocco’s success didn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of long-term investment. Much of it backed by King Mohammed VI.
An academy bearing his name opened in 2009. A $65m (£48.7m) training complex followed in 2019. Together, they’ve helped turn the Atlas Lions into Africa’s top-ranked side.
“Everything that is happening right now in Moroccan football is thanks to Mohammed VI,” Ouahbi said. “He has invested a lot in the last few years, especially this academy.”
Morocco reached three of four World Cups between 1986 and 1998. Then came a 20-year gap without qualifying. This investment changed everything. It also let Morocco recruit talent from the diaspora — players like Hakimi and Diaz, both born in Spain.
The result is a new competitiveness and self-belief. Other African and Arab nations now look to Morocco as a blueprint. And this team carries a different aura than the one that shocked the world four years ago.
“It’s not a surprise, we are no longer a surprise as of today,” Ouahbi said. “When people talk about Morocco they talk about a real contender, a major footballing nation. It’s a great source of pride.”
He’s not done yet. “It’s only the beginning and I hope we can continue to have similar World Cup runs for many years. We want to keep going, we don’t want to stop.”
Four years ago in Qatar, Morocco’s run felt like disbelief. This time, in North America, it feels like purpose.
Curated news reports, in-depth analysis, and special features by India’s Opinion editorial team.
