France advances past Paraguay; Morocco, Egypt celebrate amid World Cup
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Kylian Mbappé scored from the penalty spot as France beat Paraguay 1-0 in sweltering heat to reach the World Cup quarter-finals, where they'll face Morocco on Saturday. The match was physical and tightly contested, with Les Bleus surviving Paraguay's defensive intensity to secure the win. Morocco and Egypt also advanced in their matches, sparking celebrations across the region. At a Dallas fan zone, supporters of both Morocco and Egypt marked their teams' victories by singing 'My Blood is Palestinian,' while Palestinians in Gaza celebrated Morocco's win. The tournament continues with Canada's campaign ending after a 3-0 loss to Morocco, with Prime Minister Mark Carney expressing pride in the team's performance despite limited global attention compared to fellow co-hosts the United States and Mexico.
Photo by Verity Griffin - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Canada’s story in the 2026 World Cup is over but Prime Minister Mark Carney believes the team has done the country proud.
With so much attention paid to fellow co-hosts in the shape of the United States and Mexico, it would perhaps be fair to say that the Canada team have somewhat slipped under the radar on a global scale.
Still, that won’t matter to Canada fans who have seen Jesse Marsch’s team break new ground in this competition.
Heading into the 2026 World Cup, Canada had never won a game on this stage. Now, they exit having reached the last 16.
Speaking after Canada’s loss to Morocco in Houston, Carney expressed his pride despite his country seeing their dream for further progression ended.
Mark Carney proud of Canada players
A message inside the dressing room at the Houston Stadium was shared by the Prime Minister of Canada’s official X account.
It shows Carney saying: “I couldn’t be prouder as a Canadian.
“On behalf of all Canadians, I just want to thank you for everything you put in to get here to represent the nation, represent your families, your friends.”
Indeed, the Canada players have been hailed as “heroes” during the World Cup by head coach Marsch.
They have been on a journey no Canadian team has ever managed before in the World Cup, inspiring future generations along the way.
Canada have certainly played their part in what has so far been a brilliant tournament. That 6-0 win over Qatar in Vancouver will no doubt live long in the memory.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt, AMA/Getty Images
Now, attention turns to getting back to the World Cup by the time the 2030 tournament rolls around. They have appeared at the last two editions, albeit they qualified for this year’s event because they were co-hosting it.
Only will an appearance in four years’ time truly help Canadian football grow even further after reaching the knockout stages of the tournament for the very first time in their history.
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