By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Morocco and France became the first two teams to seal places in the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2026 after contrasting victories in their Round of 16 encounters on Saturday, setting up a blockbuster last-eight clash between the two nations.
Morocco continued their remarkable World Cup journey with a commanding 3-0 victory over co-hosts Canada in Houston. The Atlas Lions absorbed sustained Canadian pressure in the first half before taking complete control after the break. Midfielder Azzedine Ounahi emerged as the star of the evening, scoring twice, while substitute Soufiane Rahimi added a stoppage-time goal to complete an emphatic win.
The victory made Morocco the first nation to book a place in the quarter-finals and reinforced their growing reputation as one of the tournament’s most disciplined and dangerous teams. Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou produced several key saves during Canada’s dominant opening spell before Morocco’s clinical finishing proved decisive. The North Africans are now eyeing another historic deep run after their trailblazing campaign in Qatar four years ago.
Later in Philadelphia, France joined Morocco in the last eight with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over surprise package Paraguay. Unlike their free-scoring performances earlier in the tournament, the 2018 world champions had to battle against a resilient Paraguayan defence.
The breakthrough finally came in the 70th minute when captain Kylian Mbappe calmly converted a penalty after a VAR review confirmed a foul inside the box. France then defended resolutely to preserve the slender lead and secure their place in the quarter-finals.
Mbappe’s decisive strike added another milestone to his glittering World Cup career as the French skipper continued his prolific scoring run in the tournament. France, however, were made to work much harder than expected by a spirited Paraguay side that had earlier stunned Germany in the previous round.
Mbappe’s lone goal was France’s 150th World Cup goal. They became only the 4th nation to reach that landmark. Brazil, Germany and Argentina are the only others to have done so.
France have now won 5 consecutive World Cup games for the very first time. Didier Deschamps has now won 10 World Cup knockout matches as France manager. That is the most by any manager in World Cup history.
The two victories have set up one of the most anticipated quarter-final ties of the tournament, with Morocco taking on France on July 9. It will be a repeat of the memorable 2022 World Cup semi-final, when France ended Morocco’s dream run. This time, the Atlas Lions will look to script another chapter in African football history, while Didier Deschamps’ side will aim to keep alive their quest for another World Cup crown.
France will now clash with Morocco on Thursday (Friday, 10 July 1.30 am IST) in the quarter-finals.