France Face Morocco In Quarter-Final

France and Morocco meet in Boston on Thursday with a place in the semi-finals at stake. Les Bleus are chasing a third successive appearance in the final four, while Morocco are aiming to extend another remarkable tournament run after again proving they belong among the world’s strongest sides.

Match Analysis

France have reached the quarter-finals with a perfect record, but their latest victory showed that they can win in more than one way.

Didier Deschamps’ side were made to work hard by Paraguay in the previous round, with long spells of the match becoming physical and fragmented. France did not produce their most fluent attacking display, but they stayed patient, kept control of the key moments and eventually found the breakthrough through Kylian Mbappe from the penalty spot.

That result followed a strong group campaign and a knockout win over Sweden, leaving France with five wins from five matches and 13 goals scored at the tournament.

Mbappe remains the main threat after moving onto seven goals, but the strength of this France side is the number of players capable of deciding matches. Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola give Les Bleus pace and creativity in advanced areas, while Desire Doue has added another unpredictable option.

There is also extra significance for Deschamps, who is approaching the end of his time as France manager. His side have won 11 of their last 12 competitive matches, and another victory would move them one step closer to a third straight final in the tournament.

Morocco, however, have again shown that their 2022 run was no one-off. The Atlas Lions finished second in Group C before eliminating the Netherlands on penalties and then beating Canada in the last 16. Their performance against the co-hosts improved sharply after the break, with Azzedine Ounahi scoring twice before Soufiane Rahimi sealed the result late on.

Morocco are now unbeaten in 10 matches and continue to combine structure, discipline and growing attacking confidence under Mohamed Ouahbi. Brahim Diaz remains central to their creativity, while Ounahi’s influence from midfield gives them quality between the lines. They will need all of that against a France side that has historically had the upper hand in this fixture, including the semi-final in 2022.

Team News

France are expected to keep faith with the core of the team that defeated Paraguay. Mbappe will captain the side and lead the attack, supported by a wide and mobile forward line. The main question is in midfield, where Aurelien Tchouameni remains doubtful because of a thigh problem. If he is not ready to start, Manu Kone is likely to continue.

Marcus Thuram is also expected to remain unavailable. Morocco will have to do without Ismael Saibari after he was forced off against Canada with a hamstring injury. Rahimi could come into the starting XI to replace him.

Chadi Riad is another doubt after being withdrawn in the last round, with Redouane Halhal among the possible replacements if a change is required in central defence.

Odds and Tips

Morocco have the organisation and confidence to make this a difficult evening for France, and their unbeaten run shows they are more than capable of staying competitive against elite opposition.

France, though, have greater attacking depth and more experience in the decisive stages of major tournaments. Even if the match becomes tight, Les Bleus have enough individual quality to find the key moment.

Tip: France to win at 1.60.

Don’t forget that we also have Early Payout on this match, which you can read more about here.

Please note that the odds might have changed since the writing and/or publication of this article.

Last updated: 09.07.26