​Forty teams have already returned home or are en route, leaving eight from the United States in contention for the ultimate prize at the FIFA World Cup 2026. All four top seeds have just managed to advance, but who will still be standing after 100 of the tournament’s 104 matches are completed?
Morocco defender Jawad El Yamiq (number 18) reacts after their semifinal defeat to France in the 2022 World Cup at Al Bayt Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
Quarterfinal 1: France vs Morocco — Thursday, 20:00 GMT — Boston
This match promises to be a highly anticipated rematch of their World Cup semifinal in Qatar in 2022, when Morocco’s remarkable run ended as France, the defending champions, moved forward. Morocco had come through a group that included Croatia and Belgium, stunned Spain on penalties in the round of 16, and then edged Portugal 1-0 in the quarterfinal. They arrived in this fixture with momentum and belief, but also fatigue and injuries that lingered from a long campaign.
The game felt almost like a bonus at the time, but their challenge became more daunting when France took an early lead after only five minutes. Yet the Atlas Lions showed resilience, controlling about 60 percent of possession, winning more corners than France, and producing ten shots with several hits against the woodwork. Only one of those efforts found the target, and France sealed victory with a second goal 11 minutes from the end.
Four years on, the landscape has shifted considerably. Only nine players from the 2022 squad remain in this lineup, and just four of the starting eleven from the France clash last time started against Canada. Mohamed Ouahbi has stepped in as head coach in March after Walid Regragui’s departure, who guided Morocco in Qatar and led them to the controversial AFCON Final against Senegal earlier this year.
Morocco advanced by eliminating the Netherlands on penalties in the round of 32 after earning a stoppage-time equalizer in normal time. They then faced a stern test in the last-16 against Canada, enduring heavy first-half pressure and losing star forward Ismael Saibari to injury. In the second half, however, they demonstrated their clinical edge, crafting a well-worked set piece to convert the deadlock before launching two devastating counterattacks that produced a 3-0 win.
France, by contrast, did not experience major trouble with counters in their opening match against Senegal, although they were not punished in the first half. Since then, they have cruised, recording a 3-1 win and following it with victories over Iraq and a largely changed Norway and Sweden in the last 32, before squeezing past Paraguay in the last 16 thanks to a late penalty.
Soufiane Rahimi, who deputized capably for Saibari after coming on at the 21-minute mark against Canada, has been prolific, scoring in each of Morocco’s group games. He and the rest of the squad might have scored more, had they not been thwarted by a stern defensive display and a slightly less prolific run in front of goal, but they still topped the group.
On the France side, the quartet that has been so influential—Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé, and the rest of the squad—continues to press for supremacy, seeking to vindicate their status as favorites and to prove their run in the tournament remains on track. The reminder is clear: this fixture, steeped in recent history, could again tilt the balance of momentum as the World Cup narrative unfolds in this era of modern football.