Jesse Marsch, the head coach of the Canadian national team, emphasized that facing the Moroccan national team does not represent an opportunity for redemption following the team's loss to the Atlas Lions in the 2022 World Cup held in Qatar.
The match between Morocco and Canada will take place at 8:00 PM Cairo time, and 6:00 PM Morocco time, in Houston, USA, as part of the round of 16 in the 2026 World Cup.
The Moroccan national team achieved a valuable victory, with two goals to one, in the group stage of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, which witnessed remarkable performance by reaching the semi-finals and securing fourth place in the tournament.
Statements by Jesse Marsch, Canada's coach
Jesse Marsch confirmed during the pre-match press conference that his full focus is solely on preparing well for the match against Morocco, to achieve victory and successfully advance to the quarter-finals.
Marsch added: "I don't think in this life or in this sport you can rely on the idea of revenge. It's true that matches are always charged with enthusiasm and emotion."
He continued: "Our focus is solely on good preparation for the team we will face, and we are not thinking about our loss to Morocco in the last World Cup."
The American coach continued: "We are only focusing on the strength of the Moroccan team and how to deal with them, working on imposing our style and conducting the match in a way that we believe will lead us to victory."
Marsch pointed out: "Personally, I wasn't present in that match, so I don't carry those feelings. This is a different moment and a different time, and Morocco is a different team."
He concluded his statements by saying: "We are also a different team, and all we want is to make every effort to find a way to achieve the result we aspire to."
It is worth mentioning that the winner of this match will meet in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup with the winner of the match between France and Paraguay.
