Canada advances to World Cup round of 16 for first time with last-gasp goal

Canada, one of the hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, achieved a historic success with a goal from Stephen Eustaquio in the 90+2nd minute, advancing to the round of 16 for the first time. With this victory, Canada will face the winner of the Morocco-Netherlands match to be played on Tuesday in Monterrey.

Scraper SystemJune 29, 2026, 10:04 AM

Canada advances to World Cup round of 16 for first time with last-gasp goal

Canada, one of the hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, achieved a historic success. A goal by Stephen Eustaquio in the 90+2nd minute took the Canadian national team to the round of 16 for the first time in a World Cup.

This crucial goal also went down in World Cup history. Eustaquio became the first player to score a winning goal in the final moments of a knockout match since Belgian Nacer Chadli's goal against Japan in the 2018 World Cup.

Tactical balance and historic opportunity

The match, in which both teams were competing in the knockout rounds for the first time in their histories, was marked by mutual tactical caution, especially in the first half. Canada, despite co-hosting the tournament with the United States and Mexico, had lost group leadership after a 2-1 defeat to Switzerland in the final group match and had to play this crucial match away from home.

Canada, which had exited the tournament in the group stage in 1986 and 2022, rewrote the country's football history with this victory.

Players' great pride

Speaking after the match, Eustaquio said, "We never stopped believing and I think we deserved this goal in the end." Stating that he felt all his teammates were shooting with him at the moment of the goal, Eustaquio said, "We were calm as a team. We tried to make sure Morocco and Netherlands watched our game and knew who they would face in the next round."

Defender Alistair Johnston described the achievement as "a moment that will never be forgotten." Johnston said, "We are writing history for Canadian football and Canadian sports in general. It is incredible just to think about it." Also mentioning the disciplined defensive performance, Johnston said, "I am proud that we finished the match without conceding a goal. The whole team defended excellently. Considering the details of the match, I can say it was a perfect performance for a knockout match."

With this victory, Canada will face the winner of the Morocco-Netherlands match to be played on Tuesday in Monterrey in the round of 16.

Canada advances to World Cup round of 16 for first time with last-gasp goal