Morocco has made two adjustments to their starting lineup ahead of their match against France, following their victory over Canada. Anass Salah-Eddine takes the place of Redouane Halhal in defense, while Chemsdine Talbi steps in for the injured striker Ismael Saibari.
On the French side, there is one modification as well. Désiré Doué comes in to replace his PSG teammate Bradley Barcola on the left wing after their challenging match against Paraguay.
France’s starting eleven includes: Maignan, Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne, Kone, Rabiot, Dembele, Olise, Doue, and Mbappe. The substitutes are Samba, Gusto, Tchouameni, Thuram, Kante, Konate, Zaire Emery, Theo Hernandez, Lucas Hernandez, Mateta, Risser, Cherki, Akliouche, Lacroix, and Barcola.
For Morocco, the lineup features: Bounou, Hakimi, Diop, Mazraoui, Saleh-Eddine, Bouaddi, El Aynaoui, Diaz, Ounahi, Talbi, and El Khannous. Their substitutes include Mohamedi, Tagnaouti, Amrabat, Saadane, Saibari, El Ouahdi, El Mourabet, Yassine, Sbai, Belammari, El Kaabi, Amaimouni-Echghouyab, Halhal, Riad, and Rahimi.
The match will be officiated by Facundo Tello Figueroa from Argentina.
Historical Context of France vs Morocco
Historically, Morocco has faced France six times and has yet to secure a victory. Their record includes two draws and four losses, with Morocco scoring six goals while conceding fourteen. Notably, one draw occurred against a star-studded French team featuring Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry, just before France clinched the World Cup in 1998. Despite the slim historical pickings, Morocco still has hope for their first win.
Morocco demonstrated their prowess in Group C, although they did not top the group due to a missed opportunity against Brazil. They quickly dispatched Scotland within 70 seconds but encountered a tough match against Haiti, ultimately winning 4-2.
In the knockout rounds, Morocco narrowly overcame the Netherlands before needing a half-time boost against Canada to eliminate the co-hosts from the tournament.
France’s Performance Leading Up to the Quarter-Final
France confidently navigated Group I, overcoming Senegal and handling a rain delay against Iraq before comfortably defeating Norway B, thanks to a rapid first-half hat trick from Ousmane Dembélé.
As the tournament reaches its critical phase, both teams are poised for a showdown reminiscent of their encounter in the 2022 semi-final. Back then, France was favored to win, but Morocco put up a strong fight.
Since that match, Morocco has claimed the Africa Cup of Nations title and risen to become the sixth-best team in the world rankings. They are no longer seen as underdogs, and while France aims for another victory, Morocco seeks both triumph and retribution. The stage is set for an exhilarating match, kicking off at 4 PM in Boston (9 PM BST/6 AM AEST). Let the game begin!
- World Cup 2026
- World Cup
- France
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