The 2026 World Cup now ventures into the eagerly anticipated round of 16, starting with two matches on Saturday night.
Co-hosts Canada kick-off the action at 6pm (all times UK) when they go head-to-head in Houston with Morocco, before tournament favourites France clash with Paraguay in Philadelphia (10pm). The winners of the two games will meet each other in the quarter-finals.
Here are the key World Cup 2026 stats ahead of today’s two games.
Key stats for Canada vs Morocco and Paraguay vs France
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Canada vs Morocco
- Canada key stat: Only six players have had more shots on target at the tournament than Canada’s Jonathan David (7), who has had 15 shots in total, scoring three goals.
- Morocco key stat: The Atlas Lions are looking to extend their remarkable unbeaten run to 34 matches (in normal time).
Canada will hope to continue making more memories and history in their home World Cup. They’ve already won their first match (two in fact), reached the knockout stages for the first time, and proceeded to win their first knockout stage game after they scored a last minute winner against South Africa in the round of 32.
Only six players have registered more shots on target at this World Cup than Canada’s Jonathan David (7), with the Juventus striker managing 15 attempts overall and scoring three goals. Canada’s all-time leading scorer with 42 international goals, David is also his country’s highest scorer in World Cup history and will be looking to add to both tallies tonight.
READ – Canada vs Morocco: predictions, best bets, odds and stats
The Maple Leafs now face their toughest test yet against 2022 semi-finalists Morocco, who are unbeaten in 33 matches in normal time. France and Croatia – both in 2022 – are the only countries to beat them in their last 12 World Cup games, during which they’ve overcome Spain and Netherlands on penalties, claimed wins against Belgium, Portugal, and also Canada, and drawn with Brazil.
Ismael Saibari, who has just signed for Bayern Munich, has shone brightly for Morocco at the tournament, scoring in all three of group games, then kept his cool to slot in the winning penalty against the Netherlands.
Saibari now just needs one more goal to draw level with Senegal’s Ismaila Sarr and Cameroon’s Roger Milla (both four goals) as the highest-scoring African player at a single World Cup.
Paraguay vs France
- Paraguay key stat: Among the countries still standing, Paraguay rank bottom for shots (30), shots on target (8), goals scored (3), and average possession (31.2%).
- France key stat: One more assist for Michael Olise (currently on 5) would see him match Pele’s record tally of six assists at a single World Cup (1970 World Cup).
France have won 10 and lost none of their last 11 competitive games, including all four World Cup 2026 games to date, scoring a tournament-high 13 goals to date with 3+ goals in each of their four games.
Kylian Mbappe has scored six of those – putting him one goal behind frontrunner Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race – all of which have been braces. If he scores another brace against Paraguay he will draw level with Messi (20) at the top of the all-time World Cup top goalscorers chart.
Mbappe’s teammate Michael Olise has sparkled on his World Cup debut for France, accumulating five assists in his opening four matches. This puts him one behind Pele’s record for most assists at a single World Cup (6 at World Cup 1970).
Recent history tells us that it’s extremely difficult to beat France at the World Cup. They have won 15 of their last 18 matches at the tournament, suffering just one defeat in normal time and extra time during that run, which was a surprise loss to Tunisia in 2022 after they had already qualified from the group.
Excluding penalty shoot-outs, France haven’t lost to a South American side in 90 or 120 minutes in the World Cup in 11 matches dating back to a 2-1 defeat to Argentina in 1978.
READ: Paraguay vs France: Predictions, best bets and latest odds
France and Paraguay have met twice in the World Cup with Les Bleus securing wins in 1958 and 1998, which includes a golden goal winner in the last-16 28 years ago en route to winning the trophy for the first time.
Paraguay will hope fortune smiles on them again after making history in the round of 32 when they became the first country in World Cup history to beat Germany on penalties.
La Albirroja have grown into the tournament, keeping two clean sheets and conceding just once since their opening 4-1 defeat to the United States. They are now aiming to equal their best-ever World Cup finish by reaching the quarter-finals, matching the achievement of the 2010 side.
A victory over France, whether in 90 minutes or after extra time, would also see Paraguay win multiple matches at a single World Cup for the first time in their history. Despite appearing in eight World Cups, they have never won twice in a single edition. In fact, they have only won eight of their 32 games – the fewest of any nation to have played 30+ games.
Among the countries still standing, Paraguay rank bottom for shots (30), shots on target (8), goals scored (3) and average possession (31.2%).
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