France and Morocco will meet in the World Cup quarter-finals, which is the largest and logistically most complex tournament in football history. After a month of intense matches, where 280 goals were scored in 96 games, the tournament roster expanded to 48 teams, and now only eight teams remain, dreaming of winning the title in the final on July 19th in East Rutherford.
France, currently appearing to be the strongest team in the tournament, will begin the quarter-finals against the African champions—Morocco. This match will take place at Gillette Stadium, near Boston, and will be a repeat of the semi-final clash between the two teams at the 2022 World Cup.
A defeat for 'Les Bleus' will mark the end of France's coach Didier Deschamps' career, who concludes his successful fourteen-year period after the tournament. Deschamps, one of three people to win the World Cup as both a player and a coach, stated on Wednesday that he does not pay much attention to his personal legacy.
He emphasized that his main goal with the team is to do everything possible to ensure everything goes well, and that he is focused on the match against Morocco. The coach also refuted concerns circulating on social media regarding whether the selection of Argentine referee Facundo Tello could cause problems for his team. Deschamps noted that France's opponent is Morocco, not the referee.
Morocco has the potential to test Deschamps' team through a combination of technical skill, physical strength, and tactical intelligence under the guidance of coach Mohammed Waḥbi. Deschamps recalled that they met four years ago in the semi-finals, and that Morocco participated in the Africa Cup of Nations final. He characterized the Moroccan squad as very strong, composed of excellent players, and predicted that it would be a clash between two teams that prefer to control possession, attack, and score goals.
Morocco's coach, Mohammed Waḥbi, expressed a desire to avoid a repeat of the 2022 semi-final, when both he and the players regretted not showing their maximum potential. He stated that the key is the absence of regrets, and that they need to approach the game with full determination.
The winner of Thursday's match will play in the semi-final against the winner of Friday's game in Los Angeles between European champions Spain and Belgium. The Spanish team, demonstrating clinical play and having conceded no goals, eliminated Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in the 16th round and hopes to defeat Belgium, which beat the United States 4-1 in the 16th round.
On the other side of the bracket, Argentina will face Switzerland in Kansas City on Saturday. The South American team aims to become the first consecutive champions since Brazil in 1962. In the last round of 32 teams, Argentina faced serious difficulties from Kenya. On Tuesday, Lionel Messi inspired an incredible comeback, defeating Egypt 3-2 in Atlanta, despite the team seemingly being defeated and trailing by two goals late in the match. Messi, who missed a penalty in the first half, said they did not want the day to be the end, and did not want to go home.
The winner of the Argentina vs. Switzerland match will play either Norway or England, who will meet in Miami on Saturday. England advanced to the next stage with a convincing 3-2 victory over Mexico, which hosted the match at the Azteca stadium, reviving the confidence of the 'Three Lions' in their chances for their first major title since 1966. A hurdle for England is the strong Norwegian team led by the undefeated Erling Haaland, who scored both goals in the victory over Brazil in the 16th round.
Today, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA, a quarter-final match of the 2026 World Cup took place between the French and Moroccan national teams.
Although the score remained unchanged in the first half, the French team managed to take the lead in the second half. Kylian Mbappé scored the goal in the 60th minute, and six minutes later, Ousmane Dembélé scored the second goal for the team.
In the 77th minute of the match, Kylian Mbappé, the forward for the French national team, sustained an injury and left the field. Further information regarding his condition is expected later.
Thanks to the 2-0 victory, the French national team advanced to the World Cup semi-finals.
The quarter-final games will continue today. At night from July 10 to 11 Tashkent time, there will be a match between the Spanish and Belgian national teams at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The winner of this match will play against France in the semi-final.
Additionally, another quarter-final match will take place at night from July 11 to 12 at Miami Stadium in Miami, where the Norwegian and English national teams will meet. The match will be officiated by the French referee Clément Turpin.
Another quarter-final game is scheduled at Kansas City Stadium and will feature the Argentinian and Swiss national teams. The Portuguese referee João Pinheiro will officiate this match.
