Canada 0–3 Morocco: Ounahi Brace Sets Up a Quarter-Final Rematch With France

The Atlas Lions are roaring again. Morocco, the team that carried the hopes of a continent and an entire region to the semi-finals of Qatar 2022, produced a commanding, ruthless performance to sweep co-hosts Canada aside 3–0 and march into the World Cup 2026 quarter-finals — and the tie the whole Arab world will now circle on the calendar. Because waiting there, on July 9, is France. The reigning champions. The team that ended Morocco's fairytale in Qatar. This time, the Atlas Lions get the rematch.

Canada came into the night dreaming. Co-hosts on home soil, roared on by a raucous, partisan crowd sensing the deepest run in the nation's history, they started with intent and belief. But dreams meet reality quickly against a Morocco side built on the very foundations that made them the story of 2022: a defensive structure that gives away almost nothing, and a midfield with the class to punish the smallest lapse.

A Feisty, Tense First Half

The opening 45 minutes were a battle in every sense. Morocco were content to absorb, soak up Canadian pressure and wait, while the hosts pressed for the early goal that might have changed everything. It was combustible, too — Reda Halhal was booked on 20 minutes and even the influential Achraf Hakimi went into the book for an unsportsmanlike-conduct offence, one of eight cards on a bad-tempered evening. At the break, though, the scoreboard stayed goalless, and Canada could still believe.

Ounahi Takes Centre Stage

Five minutes into the second half, belief turned to dread. Achraf Hakimi, marauding forward from right-back as he does so devastatingly, delivered into the box, and Azzedine Ounahi — the midfielder whose elegant passing lit up Qatar 2022 and had the world asking "where does he play?" — arrived to finish. 1–0, and the tie tilted decisively.

Canada threw men forward in search of a way back, but that only played into Moroccan hands. On 82 minutes the killer blow arrived, and it was the man Morocco convinced to choose them over Spain who provided it: Brahim Díaz, the Real Madrid playmaker, slipped in Ounahi for his second of the night. Game over.

There was still time for a flourish. Deep into stoppage time, on 90+8, Díaz turned provider again and Soufiane Rahimi rifled home the third to complete a rout that flattered nobody. Ounahi with the brace, Díaz with two assists, Hakimi the relentless engine — Morocco's stars all delivered on the grandest stage.

Regragui's Blueprint, Again

What makes this Morocco side so difficult to break down is not any single star but the collective. Walid Regragui has built a team that defends as a unit of eleven and attacks with pace and precision the instant possession turns over — the exact recipe that carried them past Belgium, Spain and Portugal on the road to the Qatar semi-finals. Against Canada it was the same story told again: a clean sheet, three goals from a handful of clear openings, and a game controlled without ever needing to overextend. For a side carrying the weight of a continent's expectations, that composure may be its most dangerous weapon of all.

What It Means

For Canada, the co-hosts' dream ends here, but a first-ever run to the knockout rounds and beyond is genuine progress for a football nation growing fast. They can hold their heads high.

For Morocco, it is something far bigger. They have matched their historic run to the last eight, they carry the hopes of the Arab world — with Egypt still to play Argentina — and they now stand two wins from a World Cup final. And the reward for this demolition could not be more perfect: a quarter-final against France, a chance to avenge the 2–0 defeat that ended their Qatar semi-final dream. Regragui's Atlas Lions against the champions, again. The Arab world will hold its breath.

Follow Morocco's quarter-final run and every World Cup 2026 knockout tie live on KickD — real-time scores, goal alerts, and the full bracket updated within 60 seconds of full time.

KickD Sports Desk

Our editorial team covers Arab football and the FIFA World Cup 2026 live on kickd.net — real-time scores, group standings, and match analysis updated around the clock.

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