Image source: Alamy Stock Photo
2026 World Cup
Quarterfinal
France vs Morocco
Thursday 9 July
22:00
Boston Stadium
France and Morocco, two of the most impressive teams at the 2026 World Cup, will open the quarterfinals with an eagerly anticipated clash at the Boston Stadium on the evening of Thursday 9 July. Kick-off at 22:00 CAT.
Current form
France came through a torrid and testing game in the Round of 16, defeating a stubborn Paraguay 1-0 in Philadelphia thanks to Kylian Mbappe’s second-half penalty. Les Bleus did well to remain composed in the face of their opponent’s abrasive approach, proving that they can white-knuckle their way to victory, not just rely on their awesome attacking talent.
Morocco, meanwhile, claimed an emphatic 3-0 win over Canada in Houston. The Atlas Lions were outplayed by the determined co-hosts in the first half, but after the break their class showed, as Azzedine Ounahi struck a brace of well taken goals, and Soufiane Rahimi added a cherry on top with a third deep in injury time.
Team news
France will hope to have midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni back after he missed the match against Paraguay with a thigh/groin injury. Coach Didier Deschamps may also consider swapping out Bradley Barcola for Desire Doue, given the latter’s impressive impact off the bench in the Round of 16.
Morocco will hope that key forward Ismael Saibari can recover from the thigh injury that forced his substitution just 20 minutes into the match against Canada. However, it is promising that his replacement, Rahimi, netted the third and final goal.
Quotes
France coach Didier Deschamps:
“Morocco are one of the best teams. We played them four years ago in Doha and they also got to the Africa Cup of Nations final. We have a few days now to recuperate. We have some tired players and a few little knocks too.”
Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi
“I think this is only the beginning and I hope we'll keep producing this kind of run for many years.
“We want to go as far as possible and make our people proud. What we're trying to get across to our players is that we're playing in a World Cup, which means you go through difficult moments. What we needed to do was hold on and show resilience when things aren't going so well."
Head-to-head
France and Morocco have met in six previous matches, with Les Bleus claiming four wins to one for the Atlas Lions, while one game has been drawn. The teams’ most recent – and significant – meeting was in the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup, when France claimed a 2-0 win thanks to goals from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani.
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