​France face Morocco at Boston Stadium on Thursday evening in the World Cup quarter-finals, aiming to reach the semi-finals for the third consecutive tournament. Didier Deschamps’ side have won all five of their matches so far and have not fallen behind at any point. Morocco bring a 34-match unbeaten run and a potent counter-attacking threat, making them a real challenge even against a France side that has yet to lose in this tournament. Deschamps will take charge for his 25th World Cup match, tying the long-standing record held by Helmut Schön.
Aurélien Tchouaméni remains unavailable. The Real Madrid midfielder has not returned to training since picking up an adductor injury before the Paraguay game and is not expected to feature. Manu Koné keeps his place in the midfield double pivot with Adrien Rabiot. Marcus Thuram has recovered from the calf issue that ruled him out of the Paraguay contest and is available to provide attacking depth from the bench. Michael Olise carries a yellow card into this fixture. FIFA rejected France’s appeal over the booking he received against Paraguay, meaning a second caution on Thursday would rule him out of the semi-final.
Bradley Barcola and Manu Koné find themselves in the same boat. Deschamps is anticipated to name an unchanged side from the Paraguay win. Olise starts despite the suspension risk, as his five tournament assists make him too valuable to omit. Kylian Mbappé captains the side, bringing seven tournament goals into the quarter-final. He sits second in the Golden Boot race, one behind Messi’s eight, and level with Haaland on seven.
Ousmane Dembélé operates from the right, with Barcola and Olise completing the front four around Mbappé. The defense features Jules Koundé, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano and Lucas Digne, while Mike Maignan continues in goal. France’s possible starting XI (4-2-3-1) is: Maignan; Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne; Koné, Rabiot; Dembele, Olise, Barcola; Mbappé.
The World Cup quarter-final kicks off at 21:00 BST on Thursday, July 9, 2026. The match will be broadcast live on ITV1, ITVX and STV in the UK. For more context, read about the France vs Morocco preview and latest team news. The competition for the Golden Boot remains tight, with Messi nudging ahead of Mbappé and Haaland, while the European representatives continue to press for a strong run in the knockout rounds.