Canada vs Morocco score, result: Ziyech, En-Nesyri seal top spot in World Cup Group F over Croatia, Belgium

Kyle Bonn

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Dominic Booth

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Canada vs Morocco score, result: Ziyech, En-Nesyri seal top spot in World Cup Group F over Croatia, Belgium image

Morocco advanced to the World Cup knockout stage for the first time since 1986 as they defeated Canada 2-1 to not only qualify for the Round of 16 but win Group F.

Belgium's failure to score against Croatia means they are out, while Morocco finished on top and Croatia in second. It's scenes for the African nation, whose first-half goals from Hakim Ziyech and Youssef En-Nesyri paved the way for all three points.

At the other end, Canada once again put forth a spirited effort but came away with nothing, punished for their defensive mistakes yet again. Their lone strike came just before the half via an own goal from Naif Aguerd who deflected a Sam Adekugbe cross into the back of the net.

Les Rouges come away with no points at a World Cup for the second time in as many appearances, while Morocco are on top and see their way through to the knockout stage.

The Sporting News was tracking live scoring updates and highlights for Canada vs Morocco at the 2022 World Cup. See below for complete results from the Group F match in Qatar.

MORE: Check out all the action from Croatia 0-0 Belgium as a flurry of missed from Romelu Lukaku downs Belgians

Canada vs Morocco final score

  1H 2H Final
Canada 1 0 1
Morocco 2 0 2

Goals:
4th min — MAR — Hakim Ziyech
23rd min — MAR — Youssouf En-Nesyri
40th min — CAN — Naif Aguerd (OG)

Confirmed lineups:

Canda (4-3-3, right to left): 18. Borjan (GK) — 2. Johnston, 5. Vitoria, 4. Miller, 3. Adekugbe (Kone, 60') — 10. Hoilett (Wotherspoon, 76'), 14. Kaye (Hutchinson, 60'), 21. Osorio (Laryea, 65') — 11. Buchanan, 17. Larin (David, 60'), 19. Davies.

Morocco (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Bounou (GK) — 2. Hakimi (Jabrane, 85'), 5. Aguerd, 6. Saiss, 3. Mazraoui — 8. Ounahi (Hamdallah, 76'), 4. Amrabat, 11. Sabiri (Amallah, 65') — 7. Ziyech (El Yamiq, 76'), 19. En-Nesyri, 17. Boufal (Aboukhlal, 65').

Group F final standings

Team PTS GP W L D GF GA GD
1. Morocco 7 3 2 0 1 4 1 +3
2. Croatia 5 3 1 0 2 4 1 +3
3. Belgium 4 3 1 1 1 1 2 -1
4. Canada 0 3 0 2 1 1 5 -5

FINAL: 🇭🇷 Croatia 0, 🇧🇪 Belgium 0

MORE: Watch every World Cup match live with fuboTV (US only free trial)

Canada vs Morocco commentary, highlights from 2022 World Cup

FULLTIME: Canada 1-2 Morocco

It's a heartbreak for Canada who go without a point in the World Cup despite a host of chances to earn results, but for Morocco, their players celebrate on the field as they not only advance, but win the group!

Belgium failed to score in the other match, despite a multitude of chances for Romelu Lukaku down the stretch, seeing the Red Devils shockingly eliminated, while Croatia finish second.

Canada vs. Morocco: Second half

90+2 min: This game's devolved into a mess, and WHAT A TACKLE by Alphonso Davies! Milan Borjan is AT THE HALFWAY LINE and makes a total meal of it, but Davies absolutely motors back to dispossess the Moroccan player before he can shoot at the open net. What pace!!

Watch in Canada:

Watch in the UK:

87th min: Oh my, a near disaster for Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, as he juggles a ball off his chest into his hands with Alphonso Davies lurking, but he finally collects it without harm. That was an adventure.

84th min: A fourth booking for a Canada player goes to Steven Vitoria who puts an arm into Hamdallah's face. No intent, just incidental, but can't do that.

Morocco head coach Walid Regragui will use his final sub to protect star Achraf Hakimi, withdrawn for Yahya Jabrane.

80th min: A fantastic tackle by Atiba Hutchinson dispossesses Abderrazak Hamdallah at the top of the penalty area to end a Morocco break. Sofiane Amrabat was the architect, springing Hamdallah through the middle, but the striker failed to get a shot off before Canada's captain stepped in bravely and accurately.

76th min: More subs for both sides, as Canada exhaust their subs to bring David Wotherspoon in for his first World Cup appearance, replacing Junior Hoilett. Hakim Ziyech is withdrawn for Morocco, replaced by Jawad El Yamiq, while Abderrazak Hamdallah is on in place of Azzedine Ounahi.

72nd min: Chance, Canada! HOW DID THAT NOT GO IN! Off a corner, Atiba Hutchinson's towering header hits the crossbar, deflects straight down, and lands ON THE LINE, but not over it. Then Alistair Johnson's follow-up loops just inches over the top-right corner.

What a goal that would have been for a player who means so much to this Canadian side, but it's just not to be. So so close for Canada, who continue to search for their first World Cup point. Maybe that will energize Les Rouges for this final 18 minutes?

Watch in the USA:

Watch in Canada:

Watch in the UK:

65th min: More changes are afoot, as Sofiane Boufal and Abdelhamid Sabiri come off for Morocco, with Zakaria Aboukhlal and Selim Amallah enter. Canada makes one more switch, as Richie Laryea comes on for Jonathan Osorio.

Meanwhile, it remains scoreless in the other game, which would see Belgium shockingly out of the World Cup. The Red Devils have missed a host of chances, some through Romelu Lukaku who's come on as a substitute.

60th min: Right on the hour mark, Herdman completes three changes. Sam Adekugbe, Cyle Larin, and Atiba Hutchinson all come off, with Atiba Hutchinson, Jonathan David, and Ismael Kone come on. This seems like a planned switch.

56th min: Chance, Canada! On a free-kick, Alphonso Davies delivers and excellent ball for Cyle Larin at the far post, but the Canadian striker just can't reach it. Spectacular delivery.

John Herdman is readying his captain Atiba Hutchinson for one more national team appearance, which would be his 101st cap. This is probably a nod to what the player has meant to the national team more than anything, allowing him to finish his World Cup on the field, knowing there's nothing tangible to play for.

54th min: There's a slight stoppage to replace the ball which apparently has gone flat. Meanwhile, Morocco has gotten foul-happy since the break, now leading the count 11-7.

51st min: It's been a plucky start to the second half, almost like it's the start of a game. Both sides are kind of feeling each other out, with a few fouls and good runs but nothing dangerous just yet. Canada are controlling more possession but have yet to do much with it.

46th min: Canada get things under way in the second half. No changes for either side, as three Canadians are playing on yellow cards.

HALFTIME: Canada 1-2 Morocco

Morocco were better for nearly that entire half, but Canada hit back against the run of play to give them some life. Both sides would be comfortable with a draw, as it would send Morocco through and give Canada their first World Cup point, but Morocco clearly have their sights set on winning the group. They've been exceptional, only conceding on an unlucky deflection.

Meanwhile, it appears there's some ticketing issues outside the stadium, with a significant number of fans unable to get into Al Thumama Stadium.

Canada vs. Morocco: First half

48th min: Chance, Morocco! The African side appeared to have restored the two-goal lead just before the break, but the flag is up. There's a review, and on replay, it looks like Naif Aguerd was offside and interfering with the goalkeeper Milan Borjan on the effort. En-Nesyri the one with the blast, an impressive one, but it won't count.

Watch in the USA:

Watch in Canada:

45+2 min: A yellow card is shown to Sam Adekugbe for chopping down Achraf Hakimi late with his studs. Deserved. Third yellow shown on a Canada player, after Junior Hoilett and Jonathan Osorio.

40th min: GOAL! CANADA! Out of nothing, it's a deflected own goal, and Canada are back into the game! A speculative cross from Sam Adekugbe deflects off Naif Aguerd's foot as the defender went to block it, and instead he pokes it into the back of the net. The CONCACAF nation barely celebrated the goal, instead wanting to get play restarted quickly.

Watch in the USA:

Watch in Canada:

Watch in the UK:

35th min: Play has been stopped for a significant amount of time, and nobody can figure out why. The official is on the touchline speaking at length with the fourth official and some kind of executive in a suit. Maybe a technical issue? Unclear, but the game is paused. Finally Canada get things back under way from a goal kick, with no explanation as to what happened. Nearly a two minute stoppage.

Herdman has made a tactical switch after the break, with Davies now playing as a central striker alongside Cyle Larin, and Junior Hoilett moved wide right.

33rd min: Chance, Morocco! On a cut delivery down the right edge, the ball gets loose in the penalty area and Boufal nearly gets there, but Johnston makes a key block and then there's a foul called on Morocco to relieve the pressure.

30th min: Canada, who have made playing with pace, energy, and excitement their calling card, are just far too slow in this match, pinging the ball around the defense aimlessly without any kind of attacking impetus. You wonder if they're entirely out of gas after two very difficult matches in the group stage. They're playing an extremely high line defensively, and Morocco is using pace and pinpoint deliveries to beat it.

23rd min: GOAL! MOROCCO! It's a long way back now for Canada, who have yet again been punished for an elementary mistake. It's just a simple long ball for Youssouf En-Nesyri, and while he's blanketed by two Canadian defenders, he somehow has the opportunity to shoot from a tight angle, and produces a fine finish with the perfect angle inside the far post.

Somehow, that's En-Nesyri's first shot of the tournament, as the Morocco striker, and he buries it.

Watch in the USA:

Watch in Canada:

Watch in the UK:

15th min: Chance, Canada! Cyle Larin comes close to teeing up Tajon Buchanan at the far post, but it's just out of reach! Larin did well down the right side of the penalty area, sending a lateral ball for his strike partner, but Buchanan couldn't meet it with his sliding effort.

Watch in Canada:

13th min: After the brutal start, things have settled down now for Canada, who are beginning to possess more of the ball. They're still very loose with their passes, and it's generated a few opportunities on the break for Morocco. This Canada team has been fantastic this World Cup relative to expectations, but bad mistakes have been their downfall.

7th min: Junior Hoilett is booked for a late foul on Azzedine Ounahi, giving Morocco a good free-kick chance, but it's blasted straight into the wall and out for a corner.

4th min: GOAL! MOROCCO! It's a CATACLYSMIC error from Canadian defender and goalkeeper! First, Steven Vitoria leaves a horrible back-pass to the keeper Milan Borjan way short. That left Borjan forced to comem way out of his net to clear a ball high atop the penalty area, but instead he just gave it directly to Hakim Ziyech, and he buried the 40-yard chance into the open net.

Borjan had beaten En-Nesyri to the back-pass, but he simply passed it right to Ziyech instead of clearing the ball away. What a nightmare!

Watch in the USA:

Watch in Canada:

Watch in the UK:

2nd min: Interestingly, wingers Alphonso Davies and Tajon Buchanan both start the match inverted, with Davies on the right and Buchanan on the left. Davies is usually a left winger for both club Bayern Munich and his country.

Canada begin pressing high, but Morocco are straight into the attack looking for Boufal in front of net from deep on their right flank. Excellent defensive header from Alistair Johnston.

1st min: National anthems are complete, and we're under way at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar!

Canada vs. Morocco: Pre-match commentary, analysis, and stats

10 mins to kickoff: As kickoff nears, here's a reminder of what's at stake for both teams:

  • Morocco confirm advancement to the knockout stage with a win or draw, while they can also back into the Round of 16 in the event of defeat with a Croatia win over Belgium
  • Canada are searching for their first-ever World Cup point. They have played five World Cup matches all-time and lost all five.

21 mins to kickoff: Sounds like Morocco fans, who are much, much closer in proximity to Qatar, have turned out in droves at Al Thumama stadium ahead of this match! Their team has a great chance to qualify for the knockout stage.

33 mins to kickoff: A big step for Canada take in this match will be to show they can learn from their mistakes. While they've already been eliminated from the tournament, they can prove they've learned lessons to carry with them into 2026.

I wrote about the host of small mistakes that were viciously punished by Croatia in the last match. If they can clean those up, they'll be a very dangerous side moving forward.

48 mins to kickoff: There's been a lot of talk about how this Canada team has impressed in the World Cup despite their failure to secure points. John Herdman and his squad have learned a lot, and certainly made mistakes, but they've done well to make an impression.

What hasn't been talked about much is the potential for this to be head coach John Herdman's final game in charge. He's been linked to a number of jobs in England, and he's openly expressed interest in moving back to his home country and try his hand at the club scene. Whether he'll garner immediate Premier League interest, or whether he'll have to start in the Championship first remains to be seen, but there's a good chance he departs after this World Cup is over. That's a testament to the transformation he's brought the Canadian national team setup, and they are propped up well for 2026 because of him.

1 hr 10 mins from kickoff: The lineups are out, and it's a very attacking one for Canada, although young star Jonathan David is not amongst the starters. While Alphonso Davies has starred up front, David has not shown up this tournament when Canada have needed, and John Herdman has turned to all-time leading scorer Cyle Larin to get a result. I'm sure we will see David at some point in this game.

For Morocco, there are two changes as starting goalkeeper Yassine Bounou is back in the lineup after missing the Belgium game, while midfielder Abdelhamid Sabiri enters for Selim Amallah.

1 hr 20 mins from kickoff: Back in 1986, in their only other World Cup, Canada were also eliminated going into the final group stage match, and they would fall to the Soviet Union, although they managed to keep it scoreless for nearly an hour.

1 hr 38 mins from kickoff: A reminder of the scenarios for Morocco in this match, which are quite simple:

- A win or draw ensures a place in the knockout stage

- Morocco could also backdoor into the knockouts with a loss, if Croatia beat Belgium

2hrs from kick off: That means we'll get the official teamsheets in one hour. The fans are starting to arrive at the stadium.

2hrs 30 mins from kick off: The Moroccan fans have arrived nice and early and they're bringing the party spirit – and why not, given their results so far in this World Cup!

3hrs from kick off: Morocco manager Walid Regragui has admitted it "would be an error" to play for a draw against Canada today at Al Thumama Stadium, despite the fact a point would be enough for his side to reach the last 16.

He said: "If we are looking for the draw, that would be a mistake. It would be an error to go into the match thinking you only need to give 20 or 30 per cent because the draw is fine for us."

Getty Images

3hrs 30 mins from kick off: If you're just waking up in Canada, here's a reminder on how you can watch the Maple Leafs final game of this World Cup. They'll be back in four years, of course.

4hrs from kick off: Morocco have only reached the World Cup knockout stages once before in their history, and that was back in 1986. They have a chance to create history today, having failed to qualify at all between 2002 and 2014. The last 16 would be some achivement.

4hrs 30 mins from kick off: We'll get the team news today at around 9am ET. Will Herdman make wholesale changes? Sam Adekugbe and Jonathan Osorio could start after coming off the bench in the two previous matches, while 39-year-old veteran Atiba Hutchinson may drop to the bench.

Get the early Canada versus Morocco team news here.

5hrs from kickoff: Hello, and welcome to The Sporting News' coverage of this Group F showdown between Canada and Morocco. We bring the curtain down on the group stage for these two today, but only one of them has a chance of extending their stay in Qatar. Morocco are bang in the mix after a fantastic 2-0 win over Belgium last time out, which puts them just a win away from guaranteeing the Round of 16. Canada, meanwhile, know that this will be the last act of their first World Cup adventure, but they can head home with their heads held high after John Herdman's side left a lasting impression.

MORE: F is for Fearless: Alphonso Davies and John Herdman blaze a trail in defeat for thrilling Canada

Canada vs Morocco lineups, team news

Interestingly, Jonathan David drops out of the lineup with all-time leading scorer Cyle Larin entering the fray. David, a young star with Lille, has not been as dangerous this tournament as he has proven for club and country in the past.

Herdman is without Stephen Eustaquio as he hopes to sign off in Qatar with a strong performance, as the midfielder came off injured vs. Croatia. He's replaced in midfield by Mark-Anthony Kaye, as captain Atiba Hutchinson also drops out due to fitness issues.

Sam Adekugbe and Jonathan Osorio enter the starting lineup after coming off the bench in the two previous matches.

MORE: Breaking down why and how Canada lost to Croatia to confirm elimination from the World Cup.

Canada starting lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 18. Borjan (GK) — 2. Johnston, 5. Vitoria, 4. Miller, 3. Adekugbe — 10. Hoilett, 14. Kaye, 21. Osorio — 11. Buchanan, 17. Larin, 19. Davies.

Morocco head coach Walid Regragui was though to possibly stick with an unchanged starting lineup, with fullback pair Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui both passed fit, but first-choice goalkeeper Yassine Bounou was a possible miss after a last-moment withdrawal ahead of the Belgium win.

Yet with lineups confirmed, Bounou comes back into the lineup, a boost for Morocco. In addition, Abdelhamid Sabiri is also inserted into midfield, replacing Selim Amallah.

Morocco confirmed lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Bounou (GK) — 2. Hakimi, 5. Aguerd, 6. Saiss, 3. Mazraoui — 8. Ounahi, 4. Amrabat, 11. Sabiri — 7. Ziyech, 19. En-Nesyri, 17. Boufal

MORE: F is for Fearless: Davies and Herdman blaze a trail in defeat for thrilling Canada

Canada vs Morocco live stream, TV channel

This final Group F match will be played at the Al Thumama Stadium. Here's how you can watch all the action in some of the major global territories.

  Date Time TV Channel Streaming
USA Thurs, Dec. 1 10:00 ET FS1
Universo		 fuboTV,
Fox Sports site/app,
Universo Now,
Peacock
Canada Thurs, Dec. 1 10:00 ET TSN 1, CTV, RDS (French) TSN site/app, CTV app
RDS app
UK Thurs, Dec. 1 15:00 GMT BBC Two BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website
Australia Fri, Dec. 2 02:00 AEDT SBS VICELAND SBS On Demand
India Thurs, Dec. 1 20:30 IST Sports18 HD Voot, JioTV
Hong Kong Thurs, Dec. 1 23:00 HKT Now TV (Ch. 617, 619) Now TV
Malaysia Thurs, Dec. 1 23:00 MYT Astro FIFA World Cup 2 Astro GO
Singapore Thurs, Dec. 1 23:00 SGT StarHub FIFA World Cup,
Singtel FIFA World Cup 142		 Singtel TV GO, CAST,
StarHub TV+, MeWatch
New Zealand Fri, Dec. 2 04:00 NZDT Sky Sport 1 NZ Sky Go, Sky Sport NOW

Watch the match on fuboTV in USA:

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn Photo

Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.

Dominic Booth

Dominic Booth Photo

Dominic joined the Sporting News in November 2022, initially working on our World Cup coverage as a freelance sub editor. He was previously a sport content editor and Man United writer at the Manchester Evening News and is a regular at both Old Traffords, football and cricket.