Morocco became the first nation to book a place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a commanding 3-0 victory over co-hosts Canada in Houston on Saturday.
Azzedine Ounahi inspired the Atlas Lions with a second-half brace before Abderrazak Hamdallah sealed the result deep into stoppage time, sending Morocco into the last eight for the second consecutive World Cup.
The achievement marks another historic milestone for African football. Having reached the semi-finals at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Morocco have now followed that up with another quarter-final appearance, becoming the first African nation to reach the last eight in consecutive editions of the tournament.
Their latest feat surpasses the single quarter-final appearances previously achieved by Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010.
Morocco will now face the winner of Saturday's Round of 16 clash between France and Paraguay.
Should France progress, it would set up a repeat of the 2022 World Cup semi-final, where Les Bleus defeated Morocco 2-0 to end the Atlas Lions' remarkable run in Qatar.
However, Morocco's victory over Canada came with an injury concern.
Attacking midfielder Ismael Saibari, recently confirmed as a Bayern Munich player, was forced off in the first half after suffering a physical problem. The extent of the injury remains unclear ahead of the quarter-final.
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