On Thursday, France and Morocco will meet in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup, a rematch of their semi-final in Qatar four years ago.
Morocco’s progress to the last four in 2022 surprised many outside observers, but the North African team is loaded with talent and is no longer underrated.
France coach Didier Deschamps said of Morocco, “They have top-class talent.” “They’re not here to play. They’re here to win. Against this great team, we have to be ready, perform and get results.”
France advanced to the quarter-finals with a 1-0 win over Paraguay, but they were unable to find a breakthrough until Kylian Mbappé converted a penalty kick. blues The goal they needed. Mbappe now has 19 World Cup goals, two more than Lionel Messi’s all-time record.
The winner will face Spain or Belgium in the semi-finals.
Highlights of France vs Morocco
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An interesting first half in Foxborough was highlighted by Yacine Bounou saving Kylian Mbappé’s penalty.
It’s all about fighting through the final 45 minutes for a spot in the semi-finals.
French left-back Lucas Digne almost gave France a 1-0 lead with a long-range shot.
France had failed to get any chances in recent minutes and the stadium seemed still stunned by Mbappe’s mistake 15 minutes earlier.
As the match enters a hydration break, Kylian Mbappé and manager Didier Deschamps have words with the referee after a lengthy VAR check to uphold the foul that led to the penalty.
Morocco goalkeeper Yacine Bounou dived to his left to stop Mbappé’s soft shot after an unusually long VAR check.
Nousser Mazraoui dives and knocks Kylian Mbappé over. A penalty was given.
Ousmane Dembele’s looping header just missed the target as France continued their quest for the first goal.
Les Bleus are already controlling the pressure on the Moroccan goal better than in most of the games against Paraguay and are far more proactive in terms of possession in an attempt to find a breakthrough.
Morocco’s goalkeeper made a great stop from Dayot Upamecano’s header, keeping the game scoreless for the first five minutes. Morocco’s defense was breaking through early here.
Kylian Mbappé was given a few yards of space in the opening minutes before firing a shot just wide of the target.
The World Cup quarterfinals will begin in Massachusetts, with 90 minutes remaining before France and Morocco advance to the semifinals.
The matchup will kick off at 4pm ET.
The quarterfinal match will be held at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Seth Bartelny: France 2-0 Morocco
France was lagged behind by the Paraguayan side, who had a dirty approach. Still, Les Bleus found a way to win and should do so against a Moroccan team who should put in a great effort here as well.
John Arnold: France 2-1 Morocco
The road to Morocco ended the same way as it did four years ago, with France unable to contain the ferocious attacks that have only grown more intense since their 2022 encounter.
Jesse Yomtov: France 2-0 Morocco
It should be a much more open game for France than their brutal encounter with Paraguay, and Les Bleus’ attack will be just fine.
- GK: Mike Menyan
- DF: Lucas Digne
- DF: Dayot Upamecano
- DF: William Saliba
- DF: Jules Kunde
- MF: Bird of Paradise
- FM: Adrian Rabiot
- FW: Ousmane Dembele
- FW: Kylian Mbappe
- FW: Michael Olise
- FW: Desire Due
- GK: Yassin Bounow
- DF: Ashraf Hakimi
- DF: Nouser Mazraoui
- Defender: Issa Diop
- DF: Anas Salah Eddin
- MF: Ayyoub Bouadi
- Midfielder: Kemsuddin Talbi
- Midfielder: Azzedine Ounahi
- Midfielder: Bilal El Kanus
- Midfielder: Nir El Ainaoui
- FW: Brahim Diaz
The 2030 World Cup will be hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, while Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina will all host one match each on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup.
Advance to the quarterfinals, bold Indicates that the player’s team is still alive
- 8 – Lionel Messi, Argentina
- 7 – Kylian Mbappé, France
- 7 – Erling Haaland, Norway
- 5 – Harry Kane, UK
- 4 – Jude Bellingham, England
- 4 – Ousmane Dembele, France
- 4 – Julián Quiñones, Mexico
- 4 – Ismaila Saar, Senegal
- 4 – Mikel Oyarzabal, Spain
Argentinian coach Facundo Tero will take charge of the match between France and Morocco, supported by assistants Juan Pablo Verratti and Gabriel Chade.
In the run-up to the match, some eyebrows were raised when FIFA confirmed that all of the referees were Argentine. Normally, the main referee and two assistant referees are from the same country, but for the first time at this World Cup, all five referees, including the fourth referee and reserve assistant referee, are from the same country.
France and Argentina are among the favorites to meet in the final, and France’s reserve goalkeeper Robin Risser said before the match that fans did not need to worry about bias from Argentine officials.
“We must not be paranoid,” Risser said. “If these referees are involved, it’s because they’re at a competitive level.”
– Seth Terny
France has won the World Cup twice, in 1998 as the host nation and in 2018.
French midfielder Aurélien Choameny missed the Round of 16 match due to a muscle injury, and Manu Kone took his place in the starting lineup. Manager Didier Deschamps wasn’t sure whether Choameni would be available the day before the match.
“We have to be efficient in attack,” France coach Deschamps said at a press conference. “Both teams have strong assets in all areas.”
“We are efficient, but we could have done better in this aspect. Sometimes we have six chances and score two goals, and sometimes we have two chances and score two goals. It’s more important to be efficient.”
France won 1-0 thanks to Kylian Mbappé’s penalty and defeated Paraguay in the round of 16. The France captain has scored seven goals in this tournament, second only to Argentina’s Lionel Messi with eight.
– Reuters
round 16
- July 4: France vs. Paraguay – Lincoln Financial Field
- July 4: Morocco vs. Canada – Houston
- July 5: Norway vs. Brazil – East Rutherford
- 5th July: England v Mexico – Mexico City
- July 6: Spain vs. Portugal – Arlington
- July 6: Belgium vs. USA – Seattle
- July 7: Argentina vs. Egypt – Atlanta
- July 7: Switzerland vs. Colombia – Vancouver
quarterfinals
- July 9: France vs. Morocco – Foxboro
- July 10: Spain vs. Belgium – Inglewood
- July 11: Norway vs. England – Miami
- July 11: Argentina vs. Switzerland – Kansas City
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Semi-final
- July 14: Foxboro/Inglewood Winner – Arlington
- July 15: Winner of Miami/Kansas City – Atlanta
final
- July 19th at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey
Kylian Mbappé led France to victory as a teenager in 2018, the first World Cup of his career. In 2022, he led his team to the final, scoring a hat-trick, but France lost to Argentina on penalties.
Kylian Mbappé is a 27-year-old Frenchman who will turn 28 in December.
Which team does Ousmane Dembele play for?
Ousmane Dembélé plays club ball for Paris Saint-Germain and is currently the world’s top player to win the Ballon d’Or.
Morocco have never won a FIFA World Cup, but are on track to finish in fourth place in 2022, their best ever.
Who has the advantage in France vs. Morocco?
France and Morocco will meet in the World Cup quarter-finals for a place in the semi-finals. Will France’s experience be an advantage, or will Morocco’s momentum allow them to win?
Which team does Achraf Hakimi belong to?
Moroccan right-back Achraf Hakimi played club football for Paris Saint-Germain and helped the team win back-to-back UEFA Champions League titles.
- 2022: Argentina
- 2018: France
- 2014: Germany
- 2010: Spain
- 2006: Italy
- 2002: Brazil
- 1998: France
- 1994: Brazil
- 1990: west germany
- 1986: Argentina
- 1982: Italy
- 1978: Argentina
- 1974: west germany
- 1970: Brazil
- 1966: england
- 1962: Brazil
- 1958: Brazil
- 1954: west germany
- 1950: Uruguay
- 1938: Italy
- 1934: Italy
- 1930: Uruguay
Which team does Michael Olise belong to?
France’s Michael Olisse plays for Bayern Munich in Germany.
Argentina defeated France in the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar in one of the greatest matches of all time. Kylian Mbappé scored a hat-trick for Les Bleus, but Argentina won on penalties.
