Morocco and Canada set for epic clash in Houston stadium

Saturday July 4, 2026

• Houston stadium 8pm [EAT]

The battle for the first slot in the quarter final is on this Sunday at the Houston stadium when co-hosts Canada face off against last edition’s semi-finalists Morocco.

To get here, Canada eliminated South Africa 1-0 with a late Eustaquio goal deciding the outcome of a closely contested tie.

On the other hand, Morocco overcame Netherlands on penalties following a 1-1 stalemate after extra time with Issa Diop scoring a late equaliser to keep the Atlas Lions in the tournament.

The two nations met in the group stages of the Fifa World Cup 2022 with Morocco winning 2-1 in a group F encounter with goals in the opening 23 minutes from Hakim Ziyech and Youssef En Nesyri as they topped the group ahead of Croatia and Belgium en route to reaching the semi-finals.

What the coaches said!

“We are excited for this moment. When you’re talking about Morocco, this is a team with incredible individual talent, very organized. And the results show the confidence that they have right now. They play with swagger. We know we are into a massive challenge,” Jesse Marsch, Canada coach

“We have a lot of respect for this team, they have quality. The level we showed in these last games will not be enough. We need to show it in the pitch to win. This is the most difficult game, because is the next one. We already played against the Netherlands; it’s in the past. If we have to play another match, that will be the hardest one. I like Canada’s energy, their intensity, the way everything is well prepared. They have an identity, everything is under control, even the throw-ins. They play to their strengths.” Mohamed Ouahbi, Morocco coach

How to watch

All matches will be live on DStv on four dedicated FIFA World Cup Channels in multiple languages. The Channels are FIFA World Cup Central (Channel 222), FIFA World Cup Extra (Channel 223), FIFA World Cup Pass (Channel 225), and FIFA World Cup Swahili (Channel 224).