Four years after that semifinal in Qatar, France and Morocco are back at it. This time it’s a quarterfinal in Boston, and the winner books the first ticket to the final four of the 2026 World Cup.
The last meeting was tense. France won 2-0, but Morocco gave them everything they could handle. That Moroccan run to the semifinals was one of the best stories in World Cup history. Now they’re trying to finish the job.
France looks different than they did in 2022. Kylian Mbappé is still the center of everything, but the supporting cast has shifted. Some veterans are gone. Younger guys have stepped in. The system is the same — patient buildup, then sudden explosion — but the execution has been uneven so far in this tournament.
Morocco, on the other hand, is basically running it back. Same manager, same defensive structure, same belief that they can hang with anyone. They’ve been rock solid at the back in this tournament. Nobody has found an easy way through them yet.
How the teams line up
France is sticking with their 4-3-3. Mbappé on the left, a rotating cast on the right, and Olivier Giroud holding the middle even at his age. The midfield is where they can control things if they’re sharp. If they get sloppy there, Morocco will punish them on the counter.
Morocco’s 4-3-3 is more defensive in practice. They sit deep, stay compact, and trust their fullbacks to handle wide threats. Achraf Hakimi will have his hands full with Mbappé, but he’s one of the few defenders in the world who can actually deal with that assignment one-on-one.
The key battle is in midfield. France wants to play through the middle. Morocco wants to clog it. If France can’t find passing lanes early, they’ll start forcing it wide and crossing, which plays right into Morocco’s strength in the air.
What’s at stake
For France, this is about proving they’re still the standard. They won it all in 2018, came painfully close in 2022, and now they’re trying to get back to the final again. A loss here would feel like a step backward.
For Morocco, it’s about proving 2022 wasn’t a fluke. They caught the world off guard last time. This time everyone knows what they are. Now they have to show they can do it again when it’s expected. That’s a different kind of pressure.
Kickoff is set for Thursday night in Boston. The weather is supposed to be clear. The crowd will be loud. And by the time this one ends, the first semifinalist will be known.
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