Canada vs. Morocco and Paraguay vs. France Headline World Cup Round of 16 on July 4th

Happy Fourth of July — and if you've got the TV on today, you're in luck. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is kicking off its Round of 16 with a pair of genuinely compelling matchups, and both are must-watch for very different reasons.

First up: Canada vs. Morocco at 1 p.m. ET out of Houston's NRG Stadium. This one hits different if you're Canadian — or just a fan of underdogs anywhere. Canada is making its first-ever appearance in the Round of 16 at a men's World Cup. Let that sink in. They got here by edging South Africa 1-0 on a dramatic late goal from Stephen Eustáquio, and before that they notched their first-ever World Cup win (a 6-0 hammering of Qatar in the group stage). It's a genuine, historic moment for Canadian soccer.

But the path to the quarterfinals runs through Morocco, and that's no easy road. Morocco ranked 6th in the world (Canada sits at 30th), and they're unbeaten at this tournament after knocking out the Netherlands on penalties in the Round of 32. If you watched the 2022 World Cup, you know Morocco is not to be trifled with — they became the first African and Arab nation to reach the semifinals in Qatar. They're here for more than a run, and coach Jesse Marsch knows it. His quote about preparing for Morocco being "like a gory, horrible nightmare" tells you everything about the challenge ahead. The history isn't kind either: Morocco have never lost to Canada in four meetings.

Watch for Morocco's Ismael Saibari — the newly minted Bayern Munich signing who leads the team with three goals and even converted the winning penalty kick against the Dutch. Canada will need Alphonso Davies — who only just returned from injury — to be fully firing to have any chance.

Then at 5 p.m. ET, the action moves to Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field for France vs. Paraguay, and this one is appointment viewing. France, the tournament favorites and two-time world champions (1998, 2018), have looked absolutely dominant. Kylian Mbappé already has six goals, Ousmane Dembélé has four, and playmaker Michael Olise is sitting on five assists. They cruised past Sweden 3-0 in the Round of 32 and haven't really been tested yet.

Paraguay, on the other hand, has been the tournament's biggest Cinderella story so far. They absorbed a 4-1 group stage loss to the USA, then turned around and beat Turkey 1-0 playing with just ten men for the entire second half. Their crowning moment: knocking out four-time champion Germany on penalties in one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. Midfielders Matias Galarza and Julio Enciso have been essential — Galarza scored the winner against Turkey AND converted his penalty against Germany. Their entire game plan has been to defend deep, absorb pressure, and strike when it counts.

The stakes here are enormous: the winner of France-Paraguay will face the winner of Canada-Morocco in the quarterfinals in Boston on July 9. Think about what that means — if Paraguay keeps the magic going and Canada somehow topples Morocco, you get a quarterfinal between two massive underdogs. That would be one of the great sports stories in recent memory.

Both matches are on FOX and streaming on FOX One. The setting for the France-Paraguay game is particularly cinematic — Philadelphia, just miles from Independence Hall, on America's 250th birthday.