Canada v Morocco, 01 December 2022

Kick-off: 6.00pm local (3.00pm GMT) . FIFA world ranking: Canada 41, Morocco 22 . While Canada’s elimination had been confirmed prior to this final group game, Morocco would qualify for the knockout stages for the first time since 1986, if they avoided defeat. With this win, they were confirmed as group winners. . In their sixth participation at the World Cup finals, Morocco had reached the knockout stages for the second time. . In their second participation at the World Cup finals (previously in 1986), Canada had equalled El Salvador's sequence of losing all of their first six games at World Cup finals. Only Mexico had now lost more before avoiding defeat (nine from 1930 to 1958). . Canada’s only previous competitive game against an African nation was a defeat 2-0 to Cameroon in the FIFA Confederations Cup in Nigata in June 2001. . Canada had now lost three consecutive games for the first time since March 2016. . This was manager John Herdman’s 50th game in charge of Canada (won 32, lost 13). . Along with USA and Mexico, Canada are due to be one of the co-hosts at the next World Cup finals in 2026. . Morocco became the first African nation to qualify for the group stage of the World Cup finals with seven or more points. . Morocco had now won four of their 20 games at the World Cup finals (lost nine). . Morocco had kept a clean sheet in all of their preceding seven games since a 2—2 draw with Qatar in August 2022 in Vienna. . Morocco failed in their attempt to become the first African nation to keep a clean sheet in three consecutive games at the World Cup finals. . Youssef En Nesyri became the first player to score for Morocco at two World Cup tournaments. . In the final round of group games, Nayef Aguerd conceded the first own goal of this World Cup finals. It was also the 100th goal of the tournament. . Morocco had lost all of their four previous meetings with non-European nations at the World Cup finals (3-0 v Peru in 1970, 2-1 v Saudi Arabia in 1994, 3-0 v Brazil in 1998 and 1-0 v Iran in 2018). . Morocco had won two and drawn one of the three previous meetings (all friendlies); most recently a 4-0 win in Marrakech in October 2016. .