The night of 4–5 July opened the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup: Morocco convincingly dismantled tournament hosts Canada 3–0, while France ground out a hard-fought win over Paraguay 1–0 in Philadelphia thanks to a Kylian Mbappé penalty. Both sides already know their quarter-final opponent — they will face each other in Boston on 9 July. If you are looking for the full 2026 World Cup match schedule (Kyiv time) for the Round of 16 stage — it has already been updated.
Night's results
Canada — Morocco 0:3
The match in Houston ended in a convincing victory for the Atlas Lions. The first half was evenly contested, but in the second Morocco took complete control. On the 50th minute Azzedine Ounahi opened the scoring after a cross from Hakimi from a free kick. On the 82nd minute the same Ounahi doubled the lead, capitalising on Canada's stretched defence. In stoppage time Brahim Díaz assisted Soufiane Rahimi, who sealed the final score at 3–0. Rahimi had come on as a substitute in the first half to replace the injured Ismail Saibari. For Morocco, this is their second consecutive World Cup quarter-final — following their phenomenal run at Qatar 2022. Canada, who reached the Round of 16 for the first time in their history, bowed out of the tournament and became the first of the three host nations to be eliminated from this 2026 World Cup.
Paraguay — France 0:1
In a sweltering Philadelphia, where the 250th anniversary of US Independence Day was being celebrated simultaneously, France claimed a hard-earned victory over Paraguay. The Paraguayans played extremely physically and defended tightly, keeping the score at 0–0 all the way to the 70th minute. The breakthrough came after substitute Désiré Doué entered the pitch: he burst into the penalty area and was brought down by Diego Gómez. After a VAR review, the referee awarded a penalty, which Mbappé converted into the bottom right corner. It was the French captain's seventh goal of the tournament — drawing level with Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. Paraguay's goalkeeper Orlando Gil twice denied his side a second goal in stoppage time. France have reached the quarter-finals for the fifth consecutive time and will face Morocco in Boston on 9 July.
Tournament schedule
After two Round of 16 matches, the quarter-final picture is taking shape. Morocco and France are the first confirmed participants in the last eight. Their match will take place in Boston on Thursday, 9 July (kick-off at 23:00 Kyiv time). Canada have exited the tournament at the Round of 16 stage, setting their own historic record. Paraguay are also eliminated, but can take pride in their victory over four-time champions Germany in the previous round. For more on how the play-off bracket came together, read the article "Canada — Morocco and Paraguay — France: the Round of 16 kicks off tonight".
Off the pitch
- Tchouaméni injury (France). Real Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni missed the match against Paraguay due to adductor pain. According to ESPN, he may also miss the quarter-final against Morocco on 9 July if France progress. His place in the starting line-up was taken by Kouadio Koné.
- Saibari injury (Morocco). Forward Ismail Saibari, recently transferred to Bayern Munich, picked up an injury in the first half of the match against Canada and was substituted off. His participation in the quarter-final is in doubt.
- FIFPRO statement on racism. The players' union FIFPRO stated on Saturday that more needs to be done to protect footballers from racist abuse at the World Cup in North America.
- Brahim Díaz's record. The assist by Spanish-born Moroccan Brahim Díaz in the match against Canada was his fourth of this World Cup — a new record for an African player at a single World Cup tournament.
Today, 5 July, the 2026 World Cup schedule (Kyiv time) features two more Round of 16 fixtures: Brazil — Norway (East Rutherford, 23:00 Kyiv time) and Mexico — England (Mexico City, 03:00 Kyiv time the following day). A detailed preview will appear in the evening preview column.
Photo: VAVEL · Editorial (source)
