The knockout rounds of the 2026 FIFA World Cup keep delivering blockbuster fixtures, and Thursday’s quarter-final between France and Morocco might be the biggest yet. Kickoff is set for Boston Stadium, with a place in the semi-finals on the line for both sides.
This is only the second time these two nations have met on football’s biggest stage, but the history between them runs deep. Thursday’s meeting is the seventh overall between France and Morocco, and the record tilts heavily in Les Bleus’ favour, four wins to one.
The most significant of those previous meetings came four years ago, when France beat Morocco 2-0 in the semi-final of the 2022 World Cup before going on to lose a dramatic final to Argentina. That defeat still stings for the Atlas Lions, who had captured the imagination of the football world by becoming the first African side to reach a World Cup semi-final.
Now Morocco get another shot at redemption, and they arrive in Boston looking to go one better than 2022. Standing in their way is a France side chasing a third World Cup title, having already lifted the trophy in 1998 and 2018, and led up front by a rampant Kylian Mbappe, who has been in irresistible form throughout the tournament so far.
Statistically, the odds favour France. Prediction models have given Les Bleus better than a three-in-five chance of winning inside normal time, with Morocco given roughly a one-in-six shot. But knockout football has a habit of ignoring the numbers, and Morocco’s run to this stage already suggests a team unwilling to be written off.
Whether fans call it France vs Morocco or Morocco vs France, this quarter-final has been billed as a rematch four years in the making, with a semi-final spot up for grabs. As for the France vs Morocco date, this quarter-final kicks off on Thursday, July 9, at Boston Stadium, with the winner advancing to the last four of the tournament.
