Canada’s Jesse Marsch Ready for Last-16 Clash Against Morocco

By the Editorial Team · Saturday, July 4, 2026

Canada will face Morocco in the World Cup round of 16 with key players Alphonso Davies and Moise Bombito returning from injury to strengthen their lineup. The team hopes their improved fitness can help them overcome Morocco, a tournament favorite, as they aim to extend their historic World Cup run.

Canada is preparing for its last-16 World Cup match against Morocco on Monday evening, buoyed by the return of key players Alphonso Davies and Moise Bombito from injury. Under the management of Jesse Marsch, the team seeks to build on their historic progress in the tournament.

Davies, captain and Bayern Munich defender, marked a milestone by playing his first 15 minutes in Canada's 1-0 group stage victory over South Africa. Bombito, a centre-back from Nice, contributed an hour in Canada’s first-ever knockout win at a World Cup finals. Marsch emphasized the positive impact of their improved fitness ahead of the Morocco contest.

“We don’t want to watch Morocco play – they’re too good,” Marsch said, acknowledging the challenge posed by the North African side. “Everybody’s going to write us off, but with Alphonso and Bombito closer to 100 percent, we can give ourselves a chance.”

Canada secured their advancement from the group stage with a late goal by Stephen Eustaquio in a tightly contested match against South Africa. Marsch also addressed perceptions of North American football teams, dismissing stereotypes of arrogance and focusing instead on the work within his squad.

Morocco enters the game as one of the tournament favorites, led by Ismael Saibari, who has impressed with goals in each group match and the decisive penalty in their round of 32 shootout victory over the Netherlands. Saibari recently completed a £43 million transfer to Bayern Munich and expressed excitement about potentially teaming up with England captain Harry Kane.

The Moroccan Football Federation, anticipating strong support, coordinated with Royal Air Maroc to arrange 12 additional flights, enabling up to 3,000 fans to travel to Houston for the match scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m. local time. Coverage will be available on ITV1.

Canada’s advancement continues to attract attention amid widespread focus on USA and Mexico as co-hosts of the tournament. With key players nearing full fitness, the team led by Marsch aims to defy expectations and make a deeper run in the World Cup.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.