World Cup 2026 pages
Sports · World Cup 2026 · Quarter-final
Francevs
Morocco
Thursday, July 9, 2026 · 4:00 p.m. ET · Boston Stadium (Gillette Stadium), Foxborough, MA
Watch: FOX · Telemundo
Prediction
France to advance and reach a third straight semi-final. Deschamps' side have the tournament's most dangerous attack — Mbappé (seven goals), Dembélé and Olise — and beat this same Morocco 2-0 in the 2022 semi-final. The Atlas Lions are no easy out: Ouahbi's side went through the Netherlands on penalties, beat Canada 3-0 with an Ounahi brace, and have Achraf Hakimi driving them from right-back. But injury doubts over Aurélien Tchouaméni and striker Ismael Saibari cloud the build-up, and France's ceiling is simply higher. France by a goal or two — 2-0 would surprise no one.
The case for France
60.9% to winFrance have looked like the tournament's most complete side — fifteen goals in five games, a settled spine of Maignan, Saliba and Rabiot, and a front line that can win a match from nothing through Mbappé, Dembélé or Olise. They have already beaten Morocco on this stage, in the 2022 semi-final, and rarely lose knockout ties when the front three is firing. If Deschamps' side start on the front foot, Morocco may struggle to get out of their own half.
The case for Morocco
17% to winMorocco are built for exactly this kind of night — deep, disciplined and lethal in transition through Hakimi and Brahim Díaz, with the belief of a shootout win over the Netherlands behind them. They matched Brazil in the group stage and have conceded sparingly; if they can frustrate France and take the tie deep, Yassine Bounou is a proven penalty specialist. The 2022 semi-finalists know this stage better than most, and an early goal would test a France defence that can be loose.
Both cases written 2026-07-08, before kickoff — they freeze into the record exactly as written, however the match goes. The percentages are mine, quoted to a decimal because false precision is funnier — the unclaimed 22.1% belongs to the draw.
France 4-2-3-14-2-3-1 MoroccoAt this Stage
The 2022 semi-final gets its sequel. France beat Morocco 2-0 in Qatar on the way to the final, and Didier Deschamps' side arrive in Foxborough looking just as ruthless — a perfect Group I, Sweden brushed aside 3-0 in the last 32, and a professional 1-0 over Paraguay, Kylian Mbappé leading the line with seven goals. Morocco took the harder road: a 1-1 with Brazil, Scotland and Haiti seen off, the Netherlands survived on penalties, then Canada beaten 3-0 with Azzedine Ounahi at his sharpest. Mohamed Ouahbi's side are unbeaten in normal time and carry Achraf Hakimi's threat down the right, but France have both the firepower and the recent history in this exact fixture. Win, and it's a semi-final in Dallas against Spain or Belgium.
Round of 16
Quarter-final
Semi-final
The briefing
Storylines
- A rematch of the 2022 World Cup semi-final, which France won 2-0 on their way to the final.
- Kylian Mbappé (seven goals) is level near the top of the Golden Boot race with Messi and Haaland and closing on the all-time World Cup scoring record.
- Achraf Hakimi has created more chances than any defender across the last two World Cups; Morocco reached the last eight via a shootout win over the Netherlands and a 3-0 defeat of Canada.
- France chase a third consecutive World Cup final; fitness doubts hang over France's Aurélien Tchouaméni (groin) and Morocco striker Ismael Saibari (hamstring).
The coaches
Didier Deschamps France
France's long-serving coach fields a fluid 4-2-3-1 and trusts a Mbappé-Dembélé-Olise front line to decide knockout ties; unbeaten so far this tournament.
Mohamed Ouahbi Morocco
Has Morocco defending deep and countering through Hakimi and Brahim Díaz; unbeaten in normal time all the way to the quarter-finals.
Availability
| Aurélien Tchouaméni | Doubt — a groin injury kept him out of the round-of-16 win over Paraguay; Manu Koné deputised and may keep the spot | Sports Mole |
| William Saliba | Doubt — played through a back problem against Paraguay and will be assessed | Sports Mole |
| Ismael Saibari | Major doubt — a hamstring injury forced him off after 22 minutes against Canada; Soufiane Rahimi is the likely replacement up front | Sports Mole / FIFA match |
| Chadi Riad | Doubt — a knee problem kept him out of the round-of-16 win over Canada | Sports Mole |
Availability drifts hourly in tournament week — every row carries its source and date for exactly that reason.
Watch: FOX in English (free over the air, stream free on Tubi, or on Fox One) and Telemundo in Spanish (stream on Peacock or the Telemundo app). (FOX Sports / Telemundo World Cup quarter-final TV schedule (7 Jul 2026), as of 2026-07-08)
Weather: Gillette Stadium in Foxborough is open-air; a warm, humid New England summer evening is likely, with the specific forecast to be added closer to kickoff. (Venue note (open-air); NWS forecast to be confirmed, as of 2026-07-08)
Venue: Boston Stadium (Gillette Stadium), Foxborough, MA, United States — FIFA strips sponsor names for the tournament; the everyday name is in parentheses.