Morocco are no longer a fairytale. They are contenders. The north African side booked their place in the World Cup quarter-finals with a 3-0 win over Canada in Houston — but it was less beauty and more beast. They had just five efforts on goal, the fewest by any team winning a knockout match on record, and the first half was the first in World Cup history with more yellow cards than shots. Yet they came through, and as the cliché goes, great teams win ugly.
Canada had the better of the opening quarter of an hour. Moroccan goalkeeper Bono saved from Jonathan David and Tani Oluwaseyi, while the Atlas Lions did not have a touch in the opposition box for the first 15 minutes for a second successive fixture. But once they settled, they took control. “They were bending a little bit but they didn’t break,” Canada manager Jesse Marsch said.
“Morocco beat Canada 3-0 to reach World Cup quarter-finals, extending unbeaten run to 34 matches.”
Morocco’s victory extends an extraordinary run: they are unbeaten in their last 34 matches across all competitions. Not since a 1-0 loss to Kenya in August 2025 in the African Nations Championship have they lost. The record carries an asterisk — it includes the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations final against Senegal, a win rewarded retroactively to Morocco and still being challenged in court — but it is impressive nevertheless.
The meeting in Texas was one of two sides blessed by golden generations. For Canada, injured Alphonso Davies was helpless on the bench as Morocco neutralised Stephen Eustáquio’s dangerous passing and squeezed star striker Jonathan David out of the game. At the other end, Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi, arguably the world’s best right-back, was a constant menace, while creative fulcrum Brahim Díaz claimed two assists. Díaz now has four assists in World Cups, the most of any African player.
Morocco manager Mohamed Ouahbi acknowledged the intensity. “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. What matters is we didn’t change our identity, we didn’t change our game philosophy. There were lots of ideas being thrown around and we took the best one. We are playing the World Cup which means there will be difficult …”
Morocco’s four World Cup knockout wins now equal the combined tally of Cameroon, Senegal, Ghana and Egypt. Their run has passed the point of surprise. They are contenders — and they know how to win, however ugly.