Canada vs Morocco Preview - prediction, team news, lineups | FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16

The Canucks will take on the Atlas Lions in the Round of 16.

For the first time in their history, Canada reached the FIFA World Cup Round of 16. Now they will lock horns against last World Cup’s semi-finalist and current AFCON champions, Morocco.

Jesse Marsch has done a brilliant job with the Canadian national team. His team has done really well so far in the competition. Meanwhile, Morocco made it into the Round of 16 by beating the Netherlands on penalties.

Canada drew against Bosnia, won against Qatar in a dominating way, and lost to the Swiss by 1-2. Overall, they are a side who will be very confident going into this fixture. They have faced Morocco in the past, losing 1-2.

But things are different now. We can expect Canada to perform well this time out.

On the other hand, Morocco are unbeaten so far in the competition. They drew against Brazil, beat Scotland and Haiti in the group stages. Against the Dutch, they were trailing but bounced back and won the match on penalties.

The win over the Netherlands will give them a huge confidence boost. Their dream of making it into the next rounds is very much alive.

Morocco are surely the favourites going into this match. But Canada do have players who can create a lot of problems for them. This will be a mouthwatering clash for sure.

Kick-Off:

• Location: Houston, USA
• Stadium: Houston Stadium
• Date: Saturday, 4 July
• Kick-Off Time: 01:00 PM (EST) | 06:00 PM (GMT) | 10:30 PM (IST)
• Referee: TBD
• VAR: In Use

Form

Canada (in all competitions): W-L-W-D-D

Morocco (in all competitions): W-W-W-D-D

Players to Watch

Alphonso Davies (Canada)

Davies missed group games since he was recovering from injury. Jesse Marsch didn’t want to risk his main player at all. He did play a few minutes against South Africa.

It was very much evident that his presence had a positive impact on the game. Davies is back to full fitness. Now he will be a big threat to the Moroccan team.

Despite being a full-back, he is someone who can make a difference on the pitch.

Ismael Saibari (Morocco)

Saibari is having a great World Cup so far; he scored the winning penalty against the Dutch in the Round of 32. He recently joined the Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich from PSV.

Saibari won the league with PSV. Many clubs wanted to have him in their team. Saibari is strong, got decent aerial presence and is a very intelligent player.

He will be confident going into this match. He is in great form.

Also read: Ismaila Sarr equals Ismael Saibari’s historic FIFA World Cup achievement

Match Facts

• This will be the first time these two sides face each other in the FIFA World Cup.
• Their last fixture ended in a 2-1 victory for Morocco.
• Morocco are unbeaten in the competition so far.

Canada vs Morocco: Betting Tips & Odds

• Tip 1 – Morocco to win this fixture – 3/4 by bet365
• Tip 2 – Both teams to score
• Tip 3 – Goals scored over 1.5

Injury and Team News

All the players in both squads are fully fit to play. There are no injury or suspension concerns for either team.

Head-to-Head

Matches: 1

Canada: 0

Morocco: 1

Draws: 0

Predicted Lineups

Canada Predicted Lineup (4-4-2):

Crepeau (GK); Johnston, Bombito, Cornelius, Davies; Buchanan, Saliba, Eustaquio, Miller; David, Oluwaseyi

Morocco Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1):

Bounou (GK); Hakimi, Diop, Riad, Mazraoui; Aynaoui, Bouaddi; Diaz, Ounahi, Khannouss; Saibari

Match Prediction

Quality-wise, Morocco are a much better side. Canada will have a slight advantage as many Canadian fans are expected to be present in the stadium. It could prove to be a big challenge for the Moroccan team.

This will be a quality fixture and can go into extra time as well. Most probably Morocco will win this fixture.

Prediction: Canada 1-3 Morocco

Telecast Details

India: Unite8 Sports Channels, Zee5

UK: BBC & ITV

USA: FOX Sports

Nigeria: DStv

Full Broadcaster List here.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Telegram.