France and Morocco Face Off in 2026 World Cup Quarterfinal Rematch in Boston

The 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals begin Thursday night at Gillette Stadium in Boston with a highly anticipated match between France and Morocco. This game is a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semifinal, where France won 2-0. France enters as clear favorites, boasting seven consecutive wins and 11 victories in their last 12 matches across all competitions. Coach Didier Deschamps, who will tie Helmut Schön’s record with his 25th World Cup game as a manager, has made some lineup changes, including starting Désiré Doué over Bradley Barcola and opting for Adrien Rabiot and Manu Koné in midfield instead of Aurélien Tchouaméni, who is fit but benched.

Morocco, known as the Atlas Lions, come into the match with confidence after a commanding 3-0 win over Canada in the round of 16 and an unbeaten streak of 10 games. They aim to reach the World Cup semifinals for the second consecutive time, a feat never before achieved by the nation. However, Morocco faces a tough challenge without their injured star Ismaïl Saïbari. Coach Mohamed Wahbi has included Shamseddine Talbi in the starting lineup for the first time, with Bilal El Khannouss and Brahim Diaz completing the attacking trio. Nouacer Mazraoui has been moved to center-back, and Anas Salah-Eddine plays as left-back.

The match referee is Facundo Tello from Argentina. The quarterfinals continue with Spain vs. Belgium on July 10 in Inglewood, Norway vs. England on July 12 in Miami, and Argentina vs. Switzerland later that same day in Kansas City.