Round of 16 Fixtures
•Canada Vs Morocco
•Paraguay Vs France
•Brazil Vs Norway
•Mexico Vs England
•Portugal Vs Spain
•USA Vs Belgium
•Argentina Vs Egypt
•Switzerland Vs Colombia
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Two African teams will be chasing places in the quarter-finals as the Round of 16 gets underway at the ongoing FIFA World Cup.
Of the nine African nations that reached the Round of 32, only Egypt and Morocco advanced to the last 16.
Morocco stunned three-time finalists the Netherlands, while Egypt needed a penalty shootout to eliminate Australia.
Senegal surrendered a two-goal lead to lose to Belgium, DR Congo also fell to England after leading, while Cape Verde put up a spirited fight before losing to defending champions Argentina in extra time.
Ghana, South Africa, Ivory Coast and Algeria were all eliminated in the Round of 32.
Morocco will now face co-hosts Canada, while Egypt, appearing in the knockout stage of the tournament for the first time, take on Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s clash with Canada in Houston, Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi said:
“We have a lot of respect for this team because they have quality. The level we showed in our last games will not be enough. We need to show even more on the pitch if we want to win.
“This is the most difficult game because it’s the next one. We already played against the Netherlands—that’s in the past. If we have another match after this, that one will become the hardest. I like Canada’s energy, their intensity and the way everything is well prepared.
“They have a clear identity. Everything is under control, even the throw-ins. They play to their strengths.”
Morocco’s journey to the Round of 16 has been anything but easy. The Atlas Lions opened their campaign with an impressive 1-1 draw against five-time champions Brazil.
They then finished second in Group C to set up a Round of 32 meeting with three-time finalists the Netherlands.
A gruelling 120-minute contest in Monterrey was eventually decided by a dramatic penalty shootout. Veteran goalkeeper Yassine Bounou made a crucial save from Crysencio Summerville before Ismael Saibari—who has since joined Bayern Munich—converted the decisive penalty to send Morocco through.
Morocco made history at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar by becoming the first African nation to reach the semi-finals.
The Atlas Lions also have fond memories of facing Canada, having defeated them 2-1 in the Group F match at Qatar 2022.
Goals from Hakim Ziyech and Youssef En-Nesyri inside the opening 23 minutes helped Morocco top a group that also included Croatia and Belgium on their way to a historic semi-final appearance.
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