France are through to the World Cup 2026 semi-finals after beating Morocco at the Boston Stadium on Thursday night. The first of this year’s quarter-final ties was goalless at the break after Kylian Mbappe had his extremely weak penalty saved by Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
There was some controversy over the length of time the Frenchman had to wait before taking the spot kick and the delay appeared to have an impact. However, Mbappe put that miss behind him to break the deadlock on the hour mark with a superb curling effort as the Morocco players complained about an apparent handball in the build up.
Six minutes later, France’s lead was doubled. Ousmane Dembele was afforded far too much space and he used a decoy run from Mbappe to pick out the bottom corner for his fifth goal of the tournament and keep Les Bleus on track to become only the second European nation to contest three consecutive World Cup finals. They progress to face either Spain or Belgium in next week's semi-final. Follow France vs Morocco back from the Boston Stadium below with our dedicated match blog.
France vs Morocco latest news
- GOAL! Dembele doubles France's lead
- GOAL! Mbappe breaks the deadlock on the hour mark
- PENALTY MISSED! Mbappe denied from the spot
FULL-TIME
23:01 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
France 2-0 Morocco
France are the first team through to the World Cup semi-finals.
France 2-0 Morocco
22:58 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
90+4 min: CHANCE!
Mateta does so well to sell Diop a dummy but his shot lacks any power and Bounou makes the save with his left boot.
France 2-0 Morocco
22:56 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
90+2 min: Saliba with a clearance just as Morocco looked a little threatening.
France 2-0 Morocco
22:54 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
90 min: SIX minutes of additional time.
France 2-0 Morocco
22:52 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
88 min: Gaps have appeared and France are looking to exploit as Barcola races through before being denied by Bounou and from the resulting corner Mateta heads over.
France 2-0 Morocco
22:51 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
86 min: Barcola picks out Olise but his curled effort is way off target. Here comes another France change as Kounde makes way for Gusto. A straight swap at right-back.
France 2-0 Morocco
22:49 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
84 min: Maignan palms away Ounahi’s effort following a short Morocco free-kick. Not the most convincing of saves, it has to be said.
Morocco with a corner now, can they make this quarter-final tie interesting?
Well, nearly is the answer as El Aynaoui makes first contact at the near post but his flicked header goes into the side netting.
France 2-0 Morocco
22:45 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
80 min: Mateta has had a couple of sights at goal already with France now putting more crosses into the box.
France 2-0 Morocco
22:41 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
77 min: Mbappe goes down off the ball and no chances are being taken with him. He goes off to be replaced by Mateta. Barcola also on for Doue.
France 2-0 Morocco
22:38 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
74 min: Two more Morocco changes as Salah-Eddine and Diaz make way for Yassine and El Ouahdi.
France 2-0 Morocco
22:37 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
73 min: Upamecano with a sliced clearance that ends up on the top of Maignan’s net. That could have gone anywhere as Morocco then make a complete mess of the resulting corner.
France 2-0 Morocco
22:35 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
71 min: Back underway after the hydration break and Kone is replaced by Zaire-Emery.
Imagine that will be to protect the Roma midfielder from a yellow card suspension.
France 2-0 Morocco
22:32 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
68 min: Two goals in quick succession and now the second half hydration break.
GOAL! France 2-0 Morocco | Ousmane Dembele ‘66
22:32 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
66 min: FRANCE SCORE AGAIN!
Ousmane Dembele doubles France's lead in quick succession. He is allowed far too much space before picking out the bottom corner.
Yassine Bounou got a big hand to it, perhaps should have saved that.
France 1-0 Morocco
22:27 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
63 min: If Morocco reach the semi-final, Diop will be suspended after receiving a yellow card for a foul on Mbappe.
France 1-0 Morocco
22:26 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
62 min: Morocco respond to that Mbappe goal by making a double change as Rahimi and Amrabat replace El Khannouss and Bouaddi.
GOAL! France 1-0 Morocco | Kylian Mbappe ‘60
22:25 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
60 min: FRANCE LEAD!
Deadlock broken in the World Cup quarter-final and it's Kylian Mbappe with a superb finish.
That will make up for the penalty miss.
France 0-0 Morocco
22:20 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
56 min: CHANCE!
Olise tees up Mbappe but the Frenchman scoops the ball over the bar. Replays show he was offside, so it would not have counted.
France 0-0 Morocco
22:20 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
55 min: Kone wins the ball back in midfield, fizzes a pass into Mbappe who lays the ball off for Doue, who cuts inside and shoots but the effort is straight at Bounou and he makes a routine save.
France 0-0 Morocco
22:18 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
54 min: Morocco with a lot more purpose at the start of the second half as Upamecano does really to well to keep Talbi at bay.
France 0-0 Morocco
22:14 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
50 min: Concern for France as Kone is down momentarily. Back up on his feet now and ready to continue.
France 0-0 Morocco
22:12 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
48 min: France a little disjointed at the back as Ounahi carries the ball forward and finds Diaz but he hesitates and loses the chance with Kounde heading his cross away.
France 0-0 Morocco
22:10 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
46 min: Not a great start to the half from Morocco as Bounou boots the ball out of play, under very little pressure. Nothing comes of it though as his team-mates win it back immediately.
KICK-OFF!
22:09 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Back underway in Boston.
Fan reaction: Bouaddi view
22:03 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Bouaddi needs 2 more years minimum away from a serious club
— 🧊🇫🇷🇨🇭~ (@d_ftbl) July 9, 2026
Fan thoughts: Penalty wait
22:00 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Ridiculous waiting time for an obvious penalty. Mbappe every right to question it…
— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) July 9, 2026
Fan reaction: Mbappe sympathy
21:57 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
seems wild to me for there to be such an incredibly long VAR check before a pretty obvious penalty there.
— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) July 9, 2026
Mbappe delayed going to the spot and still was there long enough he readjusted the ball twice
France vs Morocco highlights
21:54 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Here is the big moment of the half...
Bounou DENIES Mbappe ❌
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 9, 2026
France fail to capitalise on taking the lead from the spot 👀 pic.twitter.com/1mzWj2vkJZ
HALF-TIME
21:51 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
France 0-0 Morocco
Goalless at the break after Yassine Bounou denied Kylian Mbappe from the penalty spot.
France 0-0 Morocco
21:51 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
45+5 min: Gave that free-kick far too much build up as Hakimi makes a complete mess of it.
France 0-0 Morocco
21:50 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
45+4 min: Ball strikes the hand of Rabiot, it’s not a penalty but Morocco have a free-kick in a promising position. Big chance to take the lead right on the cusp of half-time.
France 0-0 Morocco
21:47 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
45+2 min: Kone and Olise have efforts blocked before Digne clips the crossbar with a swerving effort from range.
France 0-0 Morocco
21:46 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
45 min: FIVE MINUTES of additional time has been signalled as Bounou races off his line to get to the ball first before Mbappe.
France 0-0 Morocco
21:45 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
44 min: Battle of the No6’s as Kone comes out on top against Bouaddi, launching another France attack which fizzles out with Kounde on the right-hand side.
France 0-0 Morocco
21:42 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
41 min: So far, Morocco have shown flashes of attacking intent. Nothing really sustained, but they will be happy with the way the first half has panned out.
France 0-0 Morocco
21:37 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
36 min: Doue robs Bouaddi of possession and drives at the heart of the Morocco defence before shooting and drawing a good save from Bounou. France corner which is taken by Olise is headed into Bounou’s arms by Kounde.
France 0-0 Morocco
21:35 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
34 min: It was a really poor penalty from Mbappe, but he did seem put off by the three minute delay.
France 0-0 Morocco
21:34 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
33 min: Play resumes after the hydration break and France are straight on the attack with Dembele going close.
France 0-0 Morocco
21:30 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
29 min: That was the last action before the hydration break.
France 0-0 Morocco
21:29 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
28 min: PENALTY SAVED!
Mbappe, after a delay, has his weak penalty saved .
France 0-0 Morocco
21:26 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
25 min: FRANCE PENALTY
Mbappe sizes up Mazraoui and skips past the Morocco defender before being brought down.
France 0-0 Morocco
21:25 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
24 min: Salah-Eddine with a fine tackle on Dembele just as he was isolated by the France winger for the first time tonight. That has given Morocco some encouragement as they win a corner which comes to nothing.
France 0-0 Morocco
21:21 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
21 min: From the resulting corner, Rabiot heads Dembele’s cross over the bar.
France 0-0 Morocco
21:21 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
20 min: France with every single outfield player in the Morocco half and Kounde forces a corner off Mazraoui.
France 0-0 Morocco
21:19 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
18 min: Patient play from France ends with Dembele looping a header over the bar. Decent cross from Olise, difficult chance that.
France 0-0 Morocco
21:16 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
15 min: Digne catches Ounahi late near the touchline and Morocco have a free-kick. Hakimi swings the ball in but the delivery is really poor.
France 0-0 Morocco
21:15 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
14 min: Olise and Dembele stand over a France free-kick, the former lifts the ball into the box but Morocco makes first contact and, eventually, come away with the ball.
France 0-0 Morocco
21:14 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
13 min: Saliba’s pass is cut out by Diaz and it sets up a counter-attacking opportunity but Kone gets back to bail out his team-mate, just too strong for the Morocco forward.
France 0-0 Morocco
21:11 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
10 min: Diaz looks for the run of Hakimi down the line, but Saliba is alert and comes across to deal with the danger. At the other end, Diop stands tall and takes a shot from Doue right in the you know where...
France 0-0 Morocco
21:08 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
8 min: Mazraoui showing his versatility once again by slipping in as a central defender tonight, having operated at left-back against Canada in the last-16.
France 0-0 Morocco
21:05 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
4 min: France enjoying a spell of possession before Mbappe shoots from range and draws a save from Bounou. From the short corner, Upamecano has a free header but is denied by the Morocco goalkeeper.
France 0-0 Morocco
21:03 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
2 min: Lovely start to the game by Diaz as he throws out a couple of nutmegs, he could have the beating of Digne.
France 0-0 Morocco
21:02 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
1 min: El Khannouss has started down the middle for Morocco, with Brahim Diaz out wide on the right-hand side. How they handle Saibari’s absence will be key.
KICK-OFF!
21:01 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Away we go!
A place in the World Cup semi-final is at stake.
As things stand
20:58 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
It is knockout football, which means there are no second chances.
The winners progress to the quarter-final, facing either Spain or Belgium.
Losers go home.
Not long now
20:56 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
The national anthems have been observed, as have the pre-match pleasantries between both sets of players and officials.
Kick-off is next.
HERE WE GO!
20:53 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
The teams are out at the Boston Stadium.
The national anthems are next.
LIVE: France vs Morocco
20:51 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
The players are in the tunnel.
Morocco: The story so far
20:51 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Brazil 1-1 Morocco
Scotland 0-1 Morocco
Morocco 4-2 Haiti
Netherlands 1-1p Morocco
Canada 0-3 Morocco
France: The story so far
20:48 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
France 3-1 Senegal
France 3-0 Iraq
Norway 1-4 France
Paraguay 0-1 France
Kick-off approaching in Boston
20:45 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
15 minutes to go until kick-off at the Boston Stadium.
France vs Morocco LIVE
20:40 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Plenty of support inside the Boston Stadium for France and Morocco.
World Cup 2026 quarter-final fixtures
20:35 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
July 9
9pm: France vs Morocco (Boston)
July 10
8pm: Spain vs Belgium (Los Angeles)
July 11
10pm: Norway vs England (Miami)
July 12
2am: Argentina vs Switzerland (Kansas City)
Team news reminder
20:30 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Here is how both teams will line-up today.
France XI: Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne; Kone, Rabiot; Dembele, Olise, Doue; Mbappe
Substitutes: Samba, Risser, Gusto, Konate, T.Hernandez, L.Hernandez, Lacroix, Tchouameni, Kante, Zaire-Emery, Cherki, Akliouche, Thuram, Barcola, Mateta
Morocco XI: Bounou; Hakimi, Diop, Mazraoui, Salah-Eddine; Bouaddi, El Aynaoui; El Khannouss, Ounahi, Talbi; Diaz
Substitutes: El Kajou, Tagnaouti, Saadane, Belammari, El Ouahdi, Riad, Halhal, Amrabat, El Mourabet, Yassine, Rahimi, Sbai, El Kaabi, Amaimouni
Morocco dressing room
20:25 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Behind the scenes at the Boston Stadium.
غرفة الملابس جاهزة لأسود الأطلس 👕✅
— Équipe du Maroc (@EnMaroc) July 9, 2026
The locker room is ready for our 𝐀𝐓𝐋𝐀𝐒 𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 🦁#DimaMaghrib 🇲🇦 #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/UEdDgtCNIc
Fan thoughts: Doue prediction
20:20 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Doue starting which means Dembele hat trick https://t.co/NKhZm1XUX7 pic.twitter.com/ZTVc3M2La1
— S✖️ (@statusszz) July 9, 2026
Fan reaction: Brahim Diaz role
20:15 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
brahim diaz at 9, mm that’s new.
— Iddi (@iddidumasi) July 9, 2026
Morocco changes
20:10 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Two changes from the side that beat Canada in the last-16 as Anass Salah-Eddine and Chemsdine Talbi come in for Redouane Halhal and the injured Ismael Saibari.
Looks like it will be Brahim Diaz leading the line.
France changes
20:05 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Just the one change to the France team that started the 1-0 win over Paraguay as Desire Doue replaces Bradley Barcola.
Aurelien Tchouameni has not recovered from a groin injury and his on the bench.
Morocco team in full
20:00 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Morocco XI: Bounou; Hakimi, Diop, Mazraoui, Salah-Eddine; Bouaddi, El Aynaoui; El Khannouss, Ounahi, Talbi; Diaz
Substitutes: El Kajou, Tagnaouti, Saadane, Belammari, El Ouahdi, Riad, Halhal, Amrabat, El Mourabet, Yassine, Rahimi, Sbai, El Kaabi, Amaimouni
CONFIRMED MOROCCO TEAM NEWS
19:55 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Lining up for Morocco...
🚨 التشكيلة الرسمية لـ منتخبنا الوطني أمام فرنسا
— Équipe du Maroc (@EnMaroc) July 9, 2026
📋 Our National Team’s 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐗𝐈 against France 🇫🇷#DimaMaghrib 🇲🇦 #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/Y66ePsQLkN
CONFIRMED FRANCE TEAM NEWS
19:50 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Here is the France team selected to face Morocco...
Le XI pour ce 1/4 de finale 💪
— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) July 9, 2026
🔜 🇫🇷🇲🇦 Coup d’envoi à 22h00 sur M6 et beIN SPORTS 1 📺#FRAMAR l #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/KxbdDGToiE
France team in full
19:45 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
France XI: Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne; Kone, Rabiot; Dembele, Olise, Doue; Mbappe
Substitutes: Samba, Risser, Gusto, Konate, T.Hernandez, L.Hernandez, Lacroix, Tchouameni, Kante, Zaire-Emery, Cherki, Akliouche, Thuram, Barcola, Mateta
Olise celebration
20:13 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Will Michael Olise get to produce his celebration tonight?
Quand Michael Olise apprend sa célébration à Ibrahima Konaté 🫡🤫 pic.twitter.com/PMxJNqpglh
— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) July 8, 2026
France vs Morocco LIVE - team news imminent
19:40 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
The teams will be announced shortly!
Stay tuned...
Makelele prediction
19:35 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Former France midfielder Claude Makelele has predicted Morocco to win the World Cup if are victorious in Boston tonight.
Speaking to ComeOn, Makelele said: “France vs Morocco is a match with a special feeling because Morocco are one of the best teams in this competition, and in my opinion they are the only team that can beat France.
“If Morocco knock France out, I believe they can go all the way to the final. But if France get past Morocco, I believe we can win the World Cup.
“We are neighbours. We don't share the same culture, but we are connected, and we always will be.
“Morocco are an exceptional side who have worked well and progressed enormously, and they are the one real danger for France. France have to take this match seriously and show this Morocco team respect, because they have earned it. Everyone knows what the Moroccans are capable of. There's a semi-final at stake.”
Mbappe to respond in Golden Boot race?
19:30 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Lionel Messi has taken back control of a star-studded Golden Boot race at World Cup 2026, ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.
Messi registered a late goal and an assist as the current holders fought back from 2-0 down with just 11 minutes to go to defeat Egypt 3-2 with an astonishing last-16 comeback in Atlanta on Tuesday.
Mbappe had initially drawn level with Messi thanks to his match-winning penalty against Paraguay, though topped the standings courtesy of his two assists.
The Frenchman needs just one goal tonight to climb back above Messi.
Suspension risks
19:25 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Due to an extra round of games being added at this World Cup 2026 because of the expansion from 32 teams to 48, FIFA have adjusted their yellow card laws.
In previous years, if a player received two yellow cards across any of the matches before the semi-final, they received an automatic one-game suspension.
However, under FIFA's new regulations, yellow cards are wiped twice throughout the tournament. The first was after the group stage and the next will be after the quarter-finals.
Here are the France and Morocco players who are one yellow card away from missing a potential World Cup semi-final.
France: Michael Olise, Manu Kone
Morocco: Achraf Hakimi, Issa Diop, Redouane Halhal, Bilal El Khannouss
Can anyone stop France?
19:20 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Can anyone stop France? A fair question before the tournament; even more pertinent now. They’ve won all five of their matches, failing to score as many as three goals in a single game only once, last time out, when kicked to high heaven by the Paraguayans.
In Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and the talismanic Kylian Mbappe, France possess the best front four by some distance. The quartet have 12 goals and nine assists between them in five games.
This tournament is one last hurrah for veteran Didier Deschamps, an incentive to deliver a third crown. No one will fancy playing France.
Morocco predicted XI
19:15 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
With Ismael Saibari unable to start, Soufiane Rahimi is set to lead the line in Boston and maintain his ever-present record at this summer’s expanded tournament.
Elsewhere, Morocco have Crystal Palace defender Chadi Riad available for selection after he missed the last-16 showdown with a knock.
Achraf Hakimi is expected to captain the side, Arsenal and Manchester United transfer target Ayyoub Bouaddi is set to start against the country of his berth and Azzedine Ounahi will look to follow up his brace from the last round.
Predicted Morocco XI: Bounou; Hakimi, Riad, Diop, Mazraoui; Bouaddi, El Aynaoui; El Khannouss, Ounahi, Diaz; Rahimi
Predicted France XI
19:10 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Didier Deschamps seems likely to stick with the same side that began the gritty win over Paraguay, with Mike Maignan continuing in goal.
Jules Kounde, Dayot Upamecano and William Saliba are all stalwarts in defence, with Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise certain to start in attack alongside Mbappe.
The only positions that have changed for France during this World Cup other than midfield are left-back and left wing, where Lucas Digne and Bradley Barcola appeared to have cemented themselves ahead of Theo Hernandez and Desire Doue.
However, reports on Wednesday claimed that Doue was set to replace Paris Saint-Germain team-mate Barcola against Morocco.
Predicted France XI (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne; Kone, Rabiot; Dembele, Olise, Doue; Mbappe
Today's settings
19:05 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
This is the seventh and final World Cup 2026 game to be staged at the Boston Stadium.
Both France and Morocco have played and won here, the former beating Norway in their final group game and the latter doing the same against Scotland.
France vs Morocco latest match odds
19:00 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
France to progress: 2/9
Morocco to progress: 31/10
Head to head (h2h) history and results
18:55 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
France wins: 4
Morocco wins: 1
Draws: 1
Score prediction
18:50 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
This is a tough game for France, potentially their toughest test to date as Morocco, technically, are unbeaten in their last 34 matches across all competitions.
However, France were victorious when the sides met in the 2022 semi-final and we think history will repeat itself with the Atlas Lions failing to avenge that loss.
France to win, 2-0.
Morocco team news
18:45 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Morocco will be without Ismael Saibari for their World Cup quarter-final with France, head coach Mohamed Ouahbi has revealed.
"Everyone's available, except Saibari, with the match coming too early for him," Ouahbi told reporters in Wednesday's pre-match news conference.
"Although he's not out for the rest of the tournament, I hope.
"Everyone's available, although we of course will only select the players who are at 100%."
France team news
18:40 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Didier Deschamps will make a late decision on Aurelien Tchouameni after a thigh injury kept him out of the 1-0 win over Paraguay in the last-16.
If fit, the midfielder could replace Manu Kone.
Elsewhere, Desire Doue could be rewarded for his impact off the bench last time out, potentially replacing Arsenal and Liverpool transfer target Bradley Barcola.
How to watch
18:35 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on ITV1, with coverage starting at 8pm BST.
Live stream: UK viewers can also catch the contest live online via ITVX and the ITV website.
Live blog: You can follow all the action right here via Standard Sport’s live blog.
Free highlights: World Cup highlights are available on FIFA’s official YouTube channel, along with BBC iPlayer / ITVX app and their websites.
France vs Morocco LIVE
18:31 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of France vs Morocco!
It is all getting serious now as we have reached the quarter-final stage of the 2026 World Cup and first up is a rematch from the semi-final showdown four years ago in Qatar.
We’ll have all the latest updates, build-up and team news right here ahead of kick-off, which comes at 9pm BST from the Boston Stadium. Stick with us!
France fail with Olise appeal
18:00 , Alex Young
France have failed in their bid to have Michael Olise’s yellow card against Paraguay overturned.
That means should he be booked against Morocco he would be suspended for the semi-final if they were to progress.
No revenge mission for Morocco
17:30 , Alex Young
Tonight’s game is a repeat of the 2022 semi-final when Morocco became the first African nation to reach the last four but saw their progress halted with the final in their sight.
But head coach Mohamed Ouahbi does not feel they have to avenge that defeat.
“Whoever the opponent is, our goal remains the same: to reach the semi-finals. So, we will focus on ourselves,” he said.
“There is no revenge. We only want to continue our journey.”
Deschamps dismisses referee concerns
17:00 , Alex Young
Didier Deschamps has played down the appointment of Argentinian officials for tonight’s game.
A repeat of the 2022 final, which France lost, remains a possibility and so when Facundo Tello was awarded this game, along with two Argentinian assistants, an Argentinian reserve assistant and an Argentinian fourth official, eyebrows were raised in some quarters.
But not by Deschamps, who said: “We have to deal with it. I trust the referees. Our opponent is Morocco, not the referee.”
Reserve goalkeeper Robin Risser also backed the officials.
“There’s been a certain bitterness (between France and Argentina) for a few years now since the last final, but that’s part of the game,” he said.
“If these referees are there, it’s because they’re up to the level of the competition.”
Refereeing performances have come under scrutiny at this summer’s tournament, with French official Francois Letexier’s display in the last-16 game between Argentina and Egypt criticised by the north African media.
Deschamps could not resist a jibe back at those critics, adding: “Let’s hope our (officials) are as good as Monsieur Letexier was.”
Score prediction
16:30 , Alex Young
This is a tough game for France, potentially their toughest test to date as Morocco, technically, are unbeaten in their last 34 matches across all competitions.
However, France were victorious when the sides met in the 2022 semi-final and we think history will repeat itself with the Atlas Lions failing to avenge that loss.
France to win, 2-0.
Early Morocco team news
16:00 , Alex Young
Morocco, meanwhile, are sweating over the fitness of leading scorer Ismael Saibari after he was forced off with a muscular injury during the first half against Canada.
Reports claim the knock is not as serious as first feared, though it’s unclear if he will be fit enough to face France. Soufiane Rahimi came off the bench to score in the last-16 win and could do the same if the new Bayern Munich forward can’t feature from the start.
Morocco squad
Goalkeepers: Yassine Bounou, Munir El Kajou, Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti
Defenders: Achraf Hakimi, Noussair Mazraoui, Chadi Riad, Issa Diop, Anass Salah-Eddine, Zakaria El Ouahdi, Redouane Halhal, Youssef Belammari, Marwane Saadane
Midfielders: Sofyan Amrabat, Azzedine Ounahi, Neil El Aynaoui, Bilal El Khannouss, Samir El Mourabet, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Gessime Yassine
Forwards: Ismael Saibari, Brahim Diaz, Ayoub El Kaabi, Soufiane Rahimi, Chemsdine Talbi, Ayoube Amaimouni, Amine Sbai
Early France team news
15:30 , Alex Young
Didier Deschamps will make a late decision on Aurelien Tchouameni after a thigh injury kept him out of the 1-0 win over Paraguay in the last-16.
If fit, the midfielder could replace Manu Kone. Elsewhere, Desire Doue could be rewarded for his impact off the bench last time out, potentially replacing Arsenal and Liverpool transfer target Bradley Barcola.
France squad
Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan, Robin Risser, Brice Samba
Defenders: Lucas Digne, Malo Gusto, Lucas Hernandez, Theo Hernandez, Ibrahima Konate, Maxence Lacroix, Jules Kounde, William Saliba, Dayot Upamenaco
Midfielders: N'Golo Kante, Manu Kone, Adrien Rabiot, Aurelien Tchouameni, Warren Zaire-Emery
Forwards: Maghnes Akliouche, Bradley Barcola, Rayan Cherki, Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Michael Olise, Kylian Mbappe, Jean-Phillipe Mateta, Marcus Thuram
Where to watch France vs Morocco for FREE
15:00 , Alex Young
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on ITV1, with coverage starting at 8pm BST.
Live stream: UK viewers can also catch the contest live online via the ITVX app or the ITV website.
Free highlights: World Cup highlights are available on FIFA’s official YouTube channel, along with BBC iPlayer / ITVX app and their websites.
14:45 , Alex Young
France have been the standout team at this summer’s expanded World Cup, topping Group I with an 100 percent winning record before comfortably beating Sweden in the round of 32.
The last-16 battle with Paraguay proved a difficult barrier to overcome, though Kylian Mbappe eventually found the breakthrough from the penalty spot to set up a rematch from the semi-final showdown in Qatar four years ago.
Morocco were the first team through to 2026 World Cup quarter-final after beating co-hosts Canada 3-0 in the last-16.
After seeing Egypt eliminated by Argentina in controversial fashion, the Atlas Lions are now Africa’s only representatives in North America and are seeking to reach back-to-back World Cup semi-finals.
The winners will face the victors of the Spain vs Belgium tie.
France vs Morocco LIVE
14:29 , Alex Young
Good afternoon and welcome to the London Standard’s LIVE coverage of the World Cup quarter-final between France and Morocco.
Kick-off is at 9pm BST. Stick with us.
.jpeg?trim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0)
