France vs Morocco Live Score, FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarter-Finals: All eyes on Kylian Mbappé in race for semi-finals

The first quarter-final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup promises to provide one of the tournament’s most notable encounters as France meet Morocco at Boston Stadium in the high-stakes second leg of their unforgettable World Cup 2022 semi-final. The winner will advance to the last four against either Spain or Belgium.

France enter the competition with the only perfect record in the tournament, winning all five games in regular time. Didier Deschamps’ side cruised comfortably through Group I before beating Sweden 3-0 in the round of 16. Their round of 16 meeting with Paraguay proved much more demanding, but Kylian Mbappé converted a second-half penalty after Désiré Doué was picked up by a crucial foul in the box to secure a 1-0 victory and keep Les Bleus on course for another deep World Cup run.

Morocco was equally impressive. The Atlas Lions remain unbeaten after five matches, with three wins and two draws to extend their remarkable 34-match unbeaten run in all competitions. They defeated Scotland and Haiti during the group stage, earned a valuable draw against Brazil, outlasted the Netherlands in a dramatic penalty shoot-out in the round of 16, then cruised to a convincing 3-0 win over tournament co-hosts Canada to reach the quarter-finals.

The fixture has significant historical weight. France ended Morocco’s fairytale journey at the 2022 World Cup with a 2-0 semi-final victory thanks to goals from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani. Overall, France holds the historic advantage with four wins from six matches, while Morocco has registered one win with two draws. Their only previous meeting at the World Cup is the semi-final in Qatar.

Much attention will once again fall on Mbappé, who has scored seven goals during this tournament and remains in strong contention for the Golden Boot. The French captain continues to climb the competition’s top scorers list and could add another milestone with a decisive performance in Boston.

Team selection also carries additional intrigue. France will be without midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni after he failed to recover from an adductor injury, meaning Manu Koné is expected to continue alongside Adrien Rabiot in midfield. Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola and Koné also enter the game one yellow card away from suspension.

Morocco suffered a major setback as tournament standout Ismael Saibari was ruled out after picking up a hamstring injury against Canada. Soufiane Rahimi is expected to replace him, while captain Achraf Hakimi, Nayef Aguerd and Romain Saïss continue to anchor the defensive unit.

With two unbeaten teams, a place in the World Cup semi-finals and a chance to settle unfinished business from Qatar, the opening quarter-final has all the ingredients for another unforgettable chapter between France and Morocco.