France meets Morocco again in the World Cup four years after historic semi-final

France and Morocco meet again in a World Cup this Thursday (9), at 5pm (Brasília time), in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup. The clash, played at the Boston Stadium, pits two teams that starred in one of the most notable semi-finals of the Qatar edition, won by the French 2-0.

Now, France remains firm in its attempt to play in its third consecutive final, a mark achieved only once by a European team in history. On the other hand, the Moroccans seek revenge and try to repeat the historic feat of 2022, when they became the first African team to reach a World Cup semifinal.

The French campaign so far reinforces the favoritism of the team led by Didier Deschamps. Leader of Group I with 100% success, Les Bleus beat Senegal, Iraq and Norway before eliminating Sweden and Paraguay in the knockout stage.

The attack continues to be the team's main asset. Kylian Mbappé leads an offensive sector that also includes Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola, responsible for maintaining the team's high offensive level during the competition.

Morocco, in turn, had to overcome a more complicated path to the quarter-finals. The team debuted with a draw against Brazil and secured second place in Group C after beating Scotland and Haiti.

In the knockout stage, the Atlas Lions showed their power of reaction by seeking a draw in the final minutes against the Netherlands before advancing on penalties. In the round of 16, they dominated Canada and won 3-0, with two goals from Azzedine Ounahi and another from Soufiane Rahimi.

The winner of the match will face, in the semi-final, whoever passes the duel between Portugal and Spain or between the United States and Belgium.

Reissue of the 2022 semi-final
The only meeting between France and Morocco in World Cups took place precisely in the semi-final of the World Cup in Qatar. On that occasion, Theo Hernández opened the scoring at the beginning of the match, and Randal Kolo Muani closed out the French victory by 2-0, a result that led the Europeans to the decision against Argentina.

Four years later, the reunion gains new ingredients. While France tries to maintain its recent tradition of leading roles in World Cups, Morocco seeks to write another historic chapter for African football.

Probable lineups
France: Maignan; Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba and Digne; Koné and Rabiot; Dembélé, Olise and Barcola; Mbappé.

Morocco: Bounou; Hakimi, Diop, Halhal and Mazraoui; Bouaddi and El Aynaoui; Diaz, Ounahi, El Khannouss; Rahimi.

For the first time, the quarterfinals of the World Cup are without Brazil, Germany and Italy

Source: CNN