Canada head coach Jesse Marsch says his side were superior to Morocco in their 3-0 defeat in the World Cup 2026 round of 16 and had made it a “privilege” for Rouges fans to support them during their history-making run at the finals.
Goalkeeper Bono denied Canada’s Jonathan David and Tani Oluwaseyi as the co-hosts bossed the first half in Houston, although Azzedine Ounahi scored twice during the second period and Soufiane Rahimi added a late third as the 2022 semi-finalists capitalised on generous defending to set up a quarter-final against France or Paraguay.
“We were unlucky not to get the lead,” said Marsch, who guided Canada to their first two wins at the finals on their third appearance in the history of the tournament, speaking to TSN.
“What a privilege our fans have had to root a team on like this – that goes after the game, doesn’t play defensively and shows they can be [the] better [team].
“What a great team. I’d rather be us than them. As good as Morocco are, I’d rather be us.”
World Cup 2026: Marsch proud after Canada vs Morocco
Canada drew with Bosnia and Herzegovina, thrashed Qatar, lost to Switzerland and knocked out South Africa on their way to the last 16, proving surprisingly dominant early on against the reigning African champions, whose unbeaten start to the tournament had included a draw with record five-time winners Brazil and victory on penalties over the Netherlands.
“We had 11 incredible performances in the first half,” said Marsch, blaming “fine details” for Morocco’s goals.
“We were unlucky not to get the lead. [Morocco] have players who play at a big level. But in terms of how we played, the match plan, sticking to who we wanted to be – what an incredible performance.
“I’m really proud of our guys. We went after the game. They’re hurting right now but my goodness, I couldn’t be prouder.”
Ounahi was left unmarked to meet Achraf Hakimi’s free-kick and sweep in the opener from outside the box but Marsch insisted Canada were the “better team”.
“They made a couple more plays than us,” said the American, arguing that Canada had taken a “top team” to “the limit”.
“But cranking up the intensity was not the issue. It was just that they have a little bit of quality in the final third, and we lacked a little ability to make a play when we needed to.
“It was one play that made it 1-0. Otherwise, the game was ours.”
Canada vs Morocco: World Cup creates ‘soccer country’
Vice-captain Stephen Eustaquio called Canada’s campaign “amazing”, describing them as “outstanding” until the second half against Morocco.
“Everybody back home should be very proud,” said the Porto midfielder. “We could have won the game, especially in the first half.
“We were on top of them. We were creating chances. Set-pieces were on point. But then from a set-piece, we kind of let that slip. Then we wanted to go after it and we got hurt on transitions.”
The 29-year-old believes Canada is “finally a soccer country” because of the finals. “We always felt the love back home from the Canadians,” he added.
“We need this support to go forward. We’re going to enter another cycle of four years. The youngsters here need support throughout the four years so that we make sure we can go even further in the next World Cup.”
Canada World Cup results: Full list at 2026 finals
Here’s how Canada fared at the tournament, which they co-hosted with the USA and Mexico.
| Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 12 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Toronto | 1–1 | Group |
| June 18 | Qatar | Vancouver | 6–0 | Group |
| June 24 | Switzerland | Vancouver | 1-2 | Group |
| June 28 | South Africa | Inglewood | 1–0 | Round of 32 |
| July 4 | Morocco | Houston | 0-3 | Round of 16 |
World Cup 2026: Canada team vs Morocco
Marsch made three changes to his starting side from the win over South Africa, bringing in Niko Sigur, Lucas De Fougerolles and Ali Ahmed.
Derek Cornelius, Nathan Saliba and Liam Millar moved to the bench, with Alphonso Davies not yet fit to be involved as the captain continued his recovery from a hamstring injury.
Canada starting XI: Maxime Crepeau, Alistair Johnston, Luc De Fougerolles, Moise Bombito, Richie Laryea, Tajon Buchanan, Niko Sigur, Stephen Eustaquio, Ali Ahmed, Jonathan David, Tani Oluwaseyi
Canada Substitutes: Dayne St. Clair, Alfie Jones, Joel Waterman, Mathieu Choiniere, Cyle Larin, Liam Millar, Derek Cornelius, Jacob Shaffelburg, Owen Goodman, Alphonso Davies, Jonathan Osorio, Promise David, Nathan Saliba, Jayden Nelson
World Cup 2026: Canada vs Morocco stats
- Canada were appearing in the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time in their history and had scored in their previous six matches across all competitions
- Marsch’s side recorded 100 final-third pressures in the first half against South Africa, which was the highest figure in a World Cup match since detailed data collection began in 2010
- Marsch was aiming to become the first American manager to progress from more than one knockout tie at the World Cup, as well as the first to win three games in the competition
- This was Canada’s sixth meeting with Morocco in all competitions, going winless across each of the previous four (D1 L3)
- They have only faced Scotland (6) and Iceland (5) more times in their history without ever winning
- Excluding finals and play-off matches for third place, Morocco have progressed from seven of their last nine knockout ties at major tournaments (World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations)
- Morocco are unbeaten in their last 10 matches in all competitions
- They completed 801 passes against the Netherlands in the previous round, becoming only the second team after Spain to exceed 800 passes in a World Cup match since modern data tracking began
- The Atlas Lions have never lost to Canada in senior men’s international football and won the fixture 2-1 at the 2022 World Cup
- That win was their first-ever meeting with a CONCACAF nation at the World Cup, proceeding to beat Haiti 4-2 during this year’s group stage
