Who Canada would play in FIFA World Cup quarter-final if they beat Morocco
Canada is a massive underdog heading into the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup.
Facing them is Morocco, the sixth-ranked team in the world, Saturday at 1 p.m. EDT/10 a.m. PDT in Houston.
Nobody is expecting Canada, ranked 30th in the FIFA men’s world ranking, to advance.
Canada head coach Jesse Marsch acknowledged the David vs. Goliath match when speaking to the media this week, calling it a “free hit.”
In other words, after beating South Africa for their first-ever win in the knockout round, Canada is playing with house money.
“My goal in this tournament, apart from inspiring our nation, was to make a run so that we could see one of the giants of the world. Given Morocco’s last six years, I think that they’re a modern giant… Now we’re at that phase of the tournament, and I feel like it’s a free hit and we’re going to go after it and do everything we can to see if we can find a way to get a win.”
But upsets do happen in this tournament. Just ask Germany.
Nobody expected Paraguay to advance, but that’s what happened on Monday. Ranked 41st heading into the World Cup, they upset the 10th-ranked Germans. So if Paraguay can do it, why not Canada?
If Canada pulls off the unexpected win, they’ll face the winner of France-Paraguay in the quarter-final in Boston on July 9. France is ranked No. 1 in the world.
Canada has a 2-1-1 record through four matches at the World Cup so far. Both their wins came against lower-ranked opponents, in 56th-ranked Qatar and 60th-ranked South Africa. They drew Bosnia and Herzegovina (64th) and lost to Switzerland (19th).