​France and Morocco meet at Boston Stadium on Thursday evening in a World Cup quarter-final rematch of their 2022 semi-final, with a place in the last four up for grabs against either Spain or Belgium. Four years on from their dramatic encounter in Qatar, when France prevailed 2-0 to end Morocco’s extraordinary journey and set up what many called the greatest World Cup final in history, the two nations have both evolved. France remain the team yet to fall behind in this tournament and have piled up 14 goals across five consecutive wins, signaling a side in peak attacking form.
Morocco arrive unbeaten in 34 matches and reach back-to-back World Cup quarter-finals for the first time as an African nation, having already dispatched the Netherlands on penalties and Canada 3-0 in the knockout rounds. That momentum is mirrored by a historic record in this fixture: Morocco have never beaten France in six prior meetings. The date to note is Thursday, 9 July 2026, with a 21:00 BST kickoff at Boston Stadium. The last meeting between the sides was the 2022 World Cup semi-final, a 2-0 triumph for France.
Deschamps faces one notable fitness setback and one confirmed absence. Aurélien Tchouaméni has not returned to training since the adductor injury that kept him out of the Paraguay win, making his involvement unlikely again. In his place, Manu Koné of Roma continues alongside Adrien Rabiot of AC Milan in the double pivot. Marcus Thuram of Inter Milan, who missed the Paraguay match with a calf problem, has returned to training and is available from the bench. Several France players carry yellow cards into this match—Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola and Manu Koné—with a second booking for any of them resulting in a semi-final suspension. FIFA rejected France’s appeal against Olise’s yellow card ahead of this clash.
On the Moroccan side, Mohamed Ouahbi confirmed at the pre-match press conference that Saibari will not play. The Bayern Munich forward, who netted three group-stage goals and converted the decisive penalty against the Netherlands, picked up a hamstring injury in the 22nd minute of the Canada game and has not recovered in time. Sooufiane Rahimi of Al Ain, who came on to score in stoppage time against Canada, starts up front. Chadi Riad is listed as a doubt with a knee injury after missing the Canada match, with Redouane Halhal likely to step into centre-back should Riad be unavailable. Achraf Hakimi, Issa Diop, Redouane Halhal and Bilal El Khannouss all head into the match with yellow cards.
Deschamps’ France have been the tournament’s most relentless attacking force, delivering three or more goals in each of their first four matches—beating Senegal 3-1, Iraq 3-0 and Norway 4-1 in the group stage, then Sweden 3-0 in the last 32—before a tougher 1-0 win over Paraguay in the last 16, where Désiré Doué won the penalty that Kylian Mbappé converted. As it stands, France are yet to concede a goal in the knockout rounds and have not trailed at any point in the competition, underscoring their status as the team to beat as the tournament advances toward the semi-finals and beyond. The stage is set for a gripping confrontation in Boston, a clash that carries both historical weight and fresh implications for the rest of the tournament.