2026 World Cup Quarter-Finals Begin: Canada Faces Morocco, France Challenges Paraguay
July 4, 2026 · Global
The quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup begin with matches between Canada and Morocco and France and Paraguay, each looking to continue their journey towards the semifinals.
The last 16 of the 2026 World Cup will begin on Saturday, as the hosts celebrate the 250th anniversary of the country's founding. The first match will be in Houston, where Canada will face an impressive Moroccan team, who have ambitions to continue their deep run in this tournament. The games will continue in Philadelphia, not far from where the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776.
The first match between Canada and Morocco was a replay of the group stage match at the 2022 World Cup, where Morocco won 2-1. Canada comes with new hope after making it to the last 16 of this World Cup after achieving their first win in the knockout rounds. Although not everything went smoothly, they were able to bounce back from a disappointing draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a comprehensive 6-0 win over Qatar to book their place in the knockout rounds.
Alphonso Davies, Canada's captain, recently returned from injury and contributed in the win over South Africa. Canada has talented strikers such as Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Tajon Buchanan, but they need to be at their best to face Morocco who have shown solid performance in this tournament. Morocco, after a 1-1 draw against Brazil and a 1-0 win over Scotland, managed to go into this round with high confidence.
On the other hand, France will face Paraguay in the second match. France, as one of the favorites, has Kylian Mbappé who has scored six goals in this tournament. Paraguay, who managed to surprise many people by beating Germany on penalties, will try to provide fierce resistance even though they are faced with a French team that has quality players in every position.
These two matches promise exciting action and could be historic moments for each team. Who will advance to the semifinals?