This will be the seventh meeting between France and Morocco and their second at the World Cup. They also clashed in Qatar in 2022 at the semifinal stage, Les Bleus proving too powerful on that occasion as they sauntered to a 2–0 victory. Revenge will be on Morocco’s mind at Gillette Stadium.
The Atlas Lions will require a resolute defensive performance considering the wealth of France’s attacking options. Mohamed Ouahbi’s side has been relatively strong at the back to date, only allowing 4.1 expected goals across five matches.
The fact half of France’s World Cup losses this century have come against African teams (three of six defeats, excluding penalty shootouts) bodes well for Morocco, too, but this current crop looks borderline unbeatable. Didier Deschamps’s side has averaged 2.8 goals per match—joint-most at the tournament—and are managing 7.8 shots on target per game. They have also created 21 big chances, only bettered by two nations.
Les Bleus are favorites to book a semifinal with either Spain or Belgium, especially with Golden Boot contender Kylian Mbappé (seven goals so far) up front, but they must be wary of a well-organized Moroccan team.
