The World Cup quarterfinals kick off Thursday in Boston, and the math is pretty straightforward. France is the best team in the tournament. Kylian Mbappe is the best player in the tournament. And Morocco is missing its best striker. But if you’re expecting a cakewalk, you haven’t been paying attention.
Morocco has made a habit of surviving in the last two World Cups. They play ugly. They play physical. They dare you to break them down, and then they hit you on the counter. It worked against Belgium in 2022. It worked against Spain and Portugal that same year. And now they’re hoping the same formula works against a French team that has looked unbeatable so far.
The question is whether France is just too good for that to matter. Argentina tried the physical approach in the group stage and gave France real problems for about 60 minutes. But France adjusted. That’s the scary part. They’re not just talented. They’re adaptable.
France vs. Morocco — Quarterfinal, Boston, 4 p.m. ET (FOX, Telemundo)
Odds to advance: France -400, Morocco +300
Three things to watch Thursday
France is playing a different sport right now
The French have cruised through this tournament while Spain needed penalties to get past Switzerland. England needed penalties to beat Colombia. Argentina needed penalties to edge Nigeria. France? They beat Nigeria 3-0. They handled the Netherlands 2-0. They dismantled Mexico 4-1. It hasn’t been close.
Morocco will try to muck it up the way Paraguay did in the group stage — get tight, get physical, frustrate Mbappe into forcing passes. But Paraguay only made that work for about 35 minutes. France has too many weapons. Too much depth. And honestly, they seem to enjoy the challenge.
No Saibari changes everything for Morocco
Ismael Saibari is out with a hamstring injury, and that’s a bigger deal than most casual fans realize. The guy plays like a budget Harry Kane — big, strong, good in the air, smart with his back to goal. He just signed a big deal at Bayern Munich to be Kane’s backup, which tells you how teams value him.
Without Saibari, Morocco has to lean on Brahim Diaz, Soufiane Rahimi, and Ayoub El Kaabi. All good players. None of them bring that physical presence. And Morocco’s attack has been quiet this tournament anyway. They’ve scored exactly two goals in four matches. If France turns this into a track meet, it’s over before halftime.
Mbappe vs. Messi vs. Haaland — the Golden Boot race is alive
Lionel Messi jumped ahead in the Round of 16 with a brace against Nigeria. Now Mbappe gets his chance to answer. Erling Haaland and Messi both play Saturday. This is shaping up as one of the best individual scoring races in World Cup history. Mbappe has been quiet by his standards the last two games — one goal and an assist — but that’s the kind of quiet most players dream about. He’s due for a monster game. Morocco might be the unlucky team that gets in his way.
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