10' SAVED BY BOUNOU! Canada are absolutely all over Morocco inside the opening ten minutes in Houston. Ali Ahmed intercepts a loose ball and slides it beautifully into the path of Jonathan David. Canada's joint-record goalscorer takes a deft touch, turns sharply toward goal, and fires a shot that is heroically saved by Bounou. Morocco have been completely stunned here!

5' Back-to-back corners for Canada! Eustaquio's first delivery is punched away cleanly by Bounou. The second one, floated in by the Canada captain from the opposite side, is deflected toward the center of the box, but Morocco manage to clear their lines. A very surprising start here!

3' An early spell of possession here for Morocco. Canada manage to win it back inside the Moroccan half, though! Stephen Eustaquio immediately spreads it wide for Richie Laryea-but his cross is deflected behind for a corner kick.

We are underway in Houston after an initial false start from Canada. There is a massive Moroccan presence in the stadium tonight, and they are making all the noise now that the whistle has blown.

The players emerge from the tunnel for the national anthems. Canada's will be up first, followed by Morocco's. We are just moments away from kickoff here in Houston!

Morocco are unbeaten in the four previous encounters between the two sides. They last met in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup, where Morocco walked away with a 2-1 victory. However, Canada have made incredible strides since that tournament.

Morocco earned its place in the round of 16 after edging the Netherlands 3-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra time. The Atlas Lions are seeking a second consecutive World Cup quarterfinal appearance after making history at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Jesse Marsch decides to keep star defender Alphonso Davies on the bench! The left-back recently returned from injury, and the manager clearly wants to ease him back into action. Nonetheless, it's a massive call from the Canada boss!

Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi said his team must play their best football to survive against Canada, warning that there is no margin for error in the knockout stage.

"This will be a difficult match, a very difficult match," Ouahbi said. "We are playing in the round of 16 of the World Cup. The team we are facing is a very good team. If we are not at our level, we will return home."

Hello and welcome! Thanks for tuning into NDTV for our live blog of the FIFA World Cup 2026 clash between tournament co-host Canada and Morocco. This marks the opening game of the Round of 16, coming to you live from Houston.

A second-place finish in Group B behind Switzerland forced Canada onto American soil for the remainder of the tournament. A first-ever knockout victory followed against South Africa, thanks to Stephen Eustaquio's late strike in Los Angeles. However, their biggest challenge so far comes in the form of Morocco-the reigning AFCON champions and semifinalists from the last World Cup in Qatar.

Canada XI: Crepeau; Johnston, De Fougerolles, Bombito, Laryea, Sigur; Eustaquio, Ahmed, Buchanan; David, Oluwaseyi.

Subs: St Clair, Goodman, Jones, Waterman, Cornelius, Davies, Choiniere, Millar, Shaffelburg, Osorio, Saliba, Larin, P.David, Nelson

Morocco XI: Bounou; Hakimi, Mazraoui, Diop, Halhal; Saibari, Bouaddi, Ounahi, El Aynaoui, El Khannouss; Diaz

Subs: El Kajou, Tagnaouti, Saadane, El Ouahdi, Riad, Belammari, Salah-Eddine, Amrabat, Talbi, El Mourabet, Yassine, Rahimi, Sbai, El Kaabi, Amaimouni.

Hello and welcome! Thanks for tuning into NDTV for our live blog of the FIFA World Cup 2026 clash between tournament co-host Canada and Morocco. This marks the opening game of the Round of 16, coming to you live from Houston.