Morocco vs Canada: the round of 16 is taking shape

Morocco vs Canada: the one everyone will want to watch

On paper, this is the round of 16's first genuinely loaded fixture. Morocco arrive as Africa's standard-bearers — a side that reached the semi-finals in Qatar and have spent the years since proving that wasn't a fluke. Canada, meanwhile, are playing at home, in front of crowds that have waited a very long time for a World Cup to land on their doorstep.

Home advantage at a 48-team tournament spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico is a complicated thing — but for Canada, it's real. Their supporters will be loud, the atmosphere will be charged, and the pressure on the host nation to actually do something in the knockout stage will be enormous. Morocco, for their part, will not care even slightly.

Playing a team that feeds off crowd energy is not a new problem for Walid Regragui's side. They handled it in Qatar. The Atlas Lions tend to get quieter and more dangerous as tournaments progress.

The wider picture

Other round-of-16 situations are still resolving themselves as the group stage runs its course. Brazil's presence in the knockout stage would surprise nobody if confirmed. Norway's involvement — should Erling Haaland and co. make it through — would be one of the stories of the tournament. But those pairings are not yet confirmed, and the bracket will keep shifting until every group has been decided.

What to watch next

What's already clear is that the round of 16 has at least one fixture — Morocco vs Canada — that doesn't need any extra selling. A co-host against a team that genuinely believes it can win the thing. That'll do for starters.