Is Morocco vs Spain on TV? How to watch World Cup last 16 fixture - kick-off time and streaming explained

Spain suffered a shock defeat to Japan in their final Group E fixture and thus fell to second in their group and will now take on Group F winners, Morocco, in the hope of reaching the weekend’s quarter-final matches.

Spain’s World Cup journey, however, also included a brief three-minute spell in their final fixture which could have seen them join Germany in being eliminated from the competition altogether, however this was soon rectified thanks to their European counterparts. The Spanish footballer Gavi has now said that their upcoming game against the North African side will represent a chance to right some wrongs in their previous performance.

Speaking to the Spanish news outlet, Marca, Gavi said: “The match against Japan has to serve as a lesson for what is to come. Luckily, that defeat has been resolved and we are clear about what we have to do. We are in the round of 16 and there are some very good teams that haven’t been able to do it. That’s why we have to really think that pressure is a privilege.”

Morocco are featuring in the knockout stages for just the second time with the first coming in 1986. They will now hope to chase history when they could match the longest unbeaten run managed by an African side at the World Cup. Morocco coach Walid Regragui has called for his side to aim high saying: “We didn’t come just to say ‘oh, we almost got close’. We need to get the results as all the European or South American teams do. We need to emulate them.”

Here is all you need to know ahead of Morocco vs Spain...

When is Morocco vs Spain?

The two sides will fight for a place in the competition’s quarter-final on Tuesday 6 December 2022. Kick-off is scheduled for 3pm GMT and the Education City Stadium in Ar-Rayyan will host the match. This stadium was one of several built to host the Qatar World Cup and is one of the biggest of the eight stadiums available at the tournament.

How to watch Morocco vs Spain?

ITV will televise this fixture of the World Cup with ITV and BBC sharing the coverage of the tournament. It will be available to watch on ITV1 with coverage set to start at 2.30pm ahead of the 3pm kick-off. BBC will then host the later fixture tomorrow between Portugal and Switzerland.

Can I stream the match?

For those unable to watch the match on terrestrial TV, it will be available to stream through the ITV streaming service ITVX. Fans will need to sign up for a free account in order to keep up with the action.

Team news

Morocco are set to be reunited with Yassine Bounou, who had previously felt unwell just before his side’s win over Belgium. He was forced to pull out at the last second but since played the full 90 minutes against Canada and will once more form part of a likely untouched XI to take on Spain. Achraf Hakimi is also expected to be passed fit despite previously suffering from ankle issues. Hakimi along with Ziyech, Sofyan Amrabat and Sofiane Boufal were granted rest from training on Saturday but are all set to feature in tomorrow’s fixture.

As for Spain, Luis Enrique was without Dani Olmo, David Raya and Cesar Azpilicueta in Friday’s training session. Azpilicueta is dealing with a pain in his calf, while Raya’s absence from training is yet to be explained. Ferran Torres and Jordi Alba are both expected to reutn to the starting XI for the knockout stages.