England's Michael Oliver will take charge of the FIFA World Cup 2026 round-of-16 clash between Canada and Morocco at Houston Stadium, with the winner set to face France or Paraguay in the quarter-finals.

Oliver is one of only two English referees at this tournament, alongside Anthony Taylor. The 41-year-old brings exceptional experience to the occasion, having overseen 812 competitive fixtures across the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, and two FA Cup finals.

Oliver's road to this assignment

His World Cup debut came in Qatar in 2022, where he handled two group-stage matches and Brazil's dramatic quarter-final exit to Croatia on penalties. At this year's tournament, Oliver missed Canada's group-stage opener involving Ivory Coast and Ecuador through injury but returned to fitness and subsequently took charge of group games featuring France, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands.

Oliver also holds a remarkable record — he became the youngest Premier League match-appointed referee when he made his top-flight debut in August 2010 at 25 years and 182 days old.

Who else is on the team?

Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring, both compatriots of Oliver, will serve as his assistant referees. Dutch officials Danny Makkelie and Hessel Steegstra will take up the roles of fourth official and reserve assistant referee respectively.

What's at stake

Canada advanced from Group A as runners-up before eliminating South Africa in the first round-of-32 tie, earning their place in the last 16 under manager Jesse Marsch. Morocco, meanwhile, topped Group C before knocking out the Netherlands on penalties — an echo of their stunning run at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The Atlas Lions are one of the co-hosts of the 2030 FIFA World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal, adding extra significance to every step they take in this tournament. The winners of Sunday's tie will play their quarter-final at Boston Stadium on 9 July.