The meeting between France and Morocco in the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup will revive memories of the 2022 World Cup semifinal in Qatar. At that time, Les Bleus halted the Atlas Lions’ sensational run with a 2-0 victory before advancing to the final. Three and a half years later, the two teams are brought together again on the world stage, this time at Boston Stadium, United States, Friday, July 10, 2026, at 3:00.
Although the public views this match as Morocco’s chance to avenge their defeat from four years ago, coach Mohamed Ouahbi rejects that narrative. For him, this match is not about the past, but rather an opportunity to continue writing new history.
After France was confirmed as their opponent following the elimination of Paraguay, Ouahbi reiterated that his team does not carry a mission of revenge. “There is no intention of revenge. We just want to continue our journey. After all, if we talk about revenge, then Paraguay would also want to avenge their loss to us if they had qualified, because we defeated them in a friendly match,” Ouahbi said, as quoted by Morocco World News.
This stance demonstrates Morocco’s maturity. The Atlas Lions prefer to concentrate on the target of reaching the World Cup semifinals for the second consecutive tournament, rather than getting caught up in the romanticism of the defeat in Qatar.
However, Morocco harbors a bit of concern heading into the match against France. Attacking midfielder Ismael Saibari is at risk of missing out after having to be substituted in the 22nd minute due to a suspected hamstring injury. Losing Saibari is certainly a major concern. The player, who recently joined Bayern Munich, is having an outstanding tournament with a collection of three goals and serves as one of the driving forces behind the Atlas Lions’ attack.
The medical team is still awaiting further examination results to confirm the severity of his injury. If he is absent, Ouahbi is likely to rely once again on Soufiane Rahimi, who performed impressively as a substitute when facing Canada.
Experience and Evaluation
From the French camp, a narrow 1-0 victory over Paraguay serves as their capital heading into the quarterfinals. France coach Didier Deschamps admitted the match did not go easily, especially due to the extreme weather in Philadelphia which reached 37 degrees Celsius.
Despite qualifying, the 57-year-old coach assessed that Les Bleus’ performance was still not at its maximum. “We should have been able to play faster. It was a difficult, focused, and aggressive match. That is why I am very pleased with this result. We qualified for the quarterfinals,” he said.
Deschamps reminded that the main focus right now is to recover the players’ physical condition before preparing the strategy to face Morocco. “Now we will recover first. Many of our players are exhausted, and some are injured. On the third day, only then will we focus on Morocco,” he stated.
The situation in France’s midfield is also interesting to observe. Injuries and the fatigue of several players open up an opportunity for veteran midfielder N’Golo Kante to play his first match in the 2026 World Cup. The experience of the 35-year-old player is believed to be an important weapon against the aggressiveness of Morocco’s midfield.
Looking at history, France still holds the upper hand over Morocco. Out of six meetings, Les Bleus won four matches, while Morocco only won once. However, of all those meetings, only the 2022 World Cup semifinal took place in a competitive tournament.
Yet, Morocco now arrives as African champions and has grown more mature after once again breaking into the World Cup’s top eight. Meanwhile, France remains one of the title favorites thanks to their squad depth and experience in playing big matches.
Therefore, the duel in Boston is no longer just a replay of the Qatar 2022 semifinal. This is a battle between two elite teams that have both evolved. Morocco wants to continue its historic dream without being burdened by ambitions of revenge, while France seeks to maintain its status as one of the strongest candidates to lift the World Cup trophy once again.
