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World Cup takeaways: Morocco, France advance to quarterfinals
France's Kylian Mbappe. James Lang-Imagn Images

World Cup 2026 Saturday takeaways: Morocco, France advance to quarterfinals

By Eric Smithling  |  Last updated Jul 4, 2026 7:39 PM ET
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Two of the eight 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinalists are set.

During a festive Saturday in the United States, Morocco and France punched tickets to the next round with wins over Canada and Portugal, respectively. Below are our takeaways from the start of the Round of 16.

Morocco continues making history

The Atlas Lions are a win away from matching an historic run to the semifinals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but they're already in rare air.

After a thorough 3-0 win over Canada, which became the first host nation eliminated, Morocco became the first African country to reach two World Cup quarterfinals.

"Morocco has now advanced in 4 World Cup KO Stage matches, as many as all other African countries combined," ESPN Insights noted.

In a cruel twist for Canada, Morocco snapped a goalless second-half tie off a set piece even as Les Rouges had many more opportunities, finishing with an 11-1 advantage in corners and 0.47-0.07 edge in set play expected goals. (h/t Fotmob)

The win sets up a rematch of the 2022 semifinal between Morocco and France, which France won, 2-0.

Kylian Mbappe stays on Lionel Messi's heels

The race for the Golden Boot is only getting better. Mbappe's 70th-minute penalty kick against Paraguay put him in a tie with Messi for the most at this year's World Cup at seven.

He also has a remarkable 19 career World Cup goals in 19 games, putting him one off of Messi's record of 20, set the previous day in Argentina's instant classic 3-2 extra time win over Cabo Verde.

Mbappe can add to his total on Thursday following Saturday's 1-0 win, but not before Messi tries to extend his lead against Egypt this Tuesday. The entertaining volley between the two generational greats is one of several fascinating subplots of this year's World Cup. We're likely to get more fireworks before reaching a resolution.

Eric Smithling
X Muck Rack

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

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