BOSTON (GG) — Morocco faces France in the first quarter-final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Boston Stadium on Thursday, July 9, 2026, as the Atlas Lions seek to reach consecutive semi-finals against a French side that has won all five matches and scored 13 goals without conceding to a single defeat.
Under head coach Mohamed Ouahbi, Morocco arrive unbeaten in 10 consecutive matches since the Africa Cup of Nations final. Ouahbi’s side eliminated the Netherlands on penalties in the Round of 32 before routing Canada 3-0 in the Round of 16, a result that confirmed Morocco as the most dangerous African team remaining in the draw. France have been equally ruthless — Didier Deschamps’ side beat Senegal, Iraq, Norway, Sweden and Paraguay while conceding only twice across the entire tournament.
The defining team news is the confirmed absence of midfielder Ismael Saibari, who scored three goals against Brazil, Scotland, and Haiti in the group stage before suffering a hamstring injury 22 minutes into the Canada match. Ouahbi confirmed at Wednesday’s pre-match press conference that the 25-year-old Bayern Munich-bound midfielder would not feature. Soufiane Rahimi, who replaced Saibari against Canada and scored the third goal in that 3-0 victory, is expected to lead Morocco’s attack alongside Brahim Díaz of Real Madrid.
Achraf Hakimi drives most of what Morocco do in attack, pushing forward from right-back to overlap with Díaz and pulling opposing defences out of shape. That freedom comes at a cost — when Hakimi advances, the space he vacates behind him becomes the most exposed area on the pitch. Central defender Chadi Riad must cover that ground quickly, because France’s left side of Kylian Mbappé and Bradley Barcola is specifically built to punish exactly that kind of gap on the counter. Mbappé, the tournament’s leading scorer with seven goals, is at his most dangerous running at a retreating defence in transition — which is precisely the scenario Hakimi’s attacking runs risk creating.
Sofyan Amrabat sits at the base of Morocco’s midfield and his job is straightforward: make the centre of the pitch so uncomfortable that France are forced to go around it rather than through it. Morocco’s block works by narrowing the central lanes and pushing Mbappé wide, where his threat is more manageable. The system held Spain and Portugal in 2022 and held Canada completely three weeks ago. What France have that those sides lacked is Michael Olise, who has produced five assists in this tournament from the right and gives Deschamps a second creator capable of bypassing Morocco’s press entirely. Manu Koné is also expected to start in place of the injured Aurélien Tchouaméni, which shifts France’s midfield dynamic and is worth watching from the opening whistle.
Azzedine Ounahi of Girona has become Morocco’s most important creative midfielder since Saibari went down, scoring twice against Canada and arriving into the box late with a timing that caused the Canadians genuine problems. Rahimi and Díaz must now carry the goal threat that Saibari provided in the group stage — three goals in three matches at the pace and directness that made Morocco so difficult to hold.
France beat Morocco 2-0 in the 2022 World Cup semi-final in Qatar. Théo Hernández scored in the fifth minute and Randal Kolo Muani sealed it late. Deschamps’ side are now pursuing a third consecutive World Cup final appearance, a feat only Brazil and Germany have achieved.
What This Means for African Football
Morocco became the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final in 2022, and a second consecutive last-four appearance would confirm that historic run as the start of something rather than a single moment. No African side has ever reached back-to-back World Cup semi-finals. Victory over France — the same nation that ended Morocco’s run three years ago in Qatar — would carry a weight well beyond this individual match and would represent the most significant result in African football history.
