Azzedine Ounahi scored a double before Soufiane Rahimi added a third to knock out World Cup co-hosts Canada and send Morocco into the last eight thanks to a 3-0 win in Houston.
The Atlas Lions now have the chance to reach back-to-back World Cup semi-finals by beating either France or Paraguay in the next round. In 2022, Morocco made history as they became the first African side to reach the quarter-finals of a World Cup.
In a game that saw more yellow cards (8) than shots on target (7), Canada looked the more likely to take the game in the early stages with Yassine Bounou the busier of the two goalkeepers. Morocco even lost their star striker, Ismael Saibari, who had to come off with an injury after just 22 minutes played.
However, Ounahi ensured they would not miss Bayern Munich’s latest recruit too much, slotting home after being teed up by Achraf Hakimi early in the second half. The Girona forward’s second was taken with the same composure as the first, finishing off a speedy counter, this time being set up by Brahim Diaz.
With Canada looking to keep their historic run going in the tournament, Rahimi ended another Morocco counter, firing past Maxime Crepeau.
Should France beat Paraguay in their last-16 meeting, Morocco will have the chance to avenge their semi-final defeat from Qatar in Boston on Thursday.