France take on Morocco at Boston Stadium in a bid for the first semifinal spot of the 2026 World Cup.
Morocco has proven to be a difficult opponent so this will be far from an easy match for France. Kylian Mbappe will be looking to add to his World Cup goalscoring tally as he will be eager to guide his side to a victory past Morocco. The two teams last played in Qatar 2022, with France winning 2-0 in the semifinals via goals from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani.
France will be looking to book a place in the semi final for the third consecutive World Cup, and it is no understatement to say that they have been one of the most dangerous teams throughout this tournament. Their elite quality in the final third is more than enough to punish any opposition, especially on the break. However, the right flank of the pitch will be especially important for today’s match — with a focus on Morocco’s transition into attack with Hakimi. The PSG defender often plays high up the pitch to facilitate the attack, which could leave space in behind when France win the ball back. With Barcola on the left and Mbappe drifting wide, this could be a tactic France utilizes to exploit Morocco’s defense.
Morocco pulled off their first upset of the tournament when they knocked out the Netherlands in the Round of 32. Now, they face their most difficult battle yet and an upset win today will secure their place in the semi finals of the World Cup for the second consecutive tournament.
For Morocco, they will be without their star performer Ismael Saibari — who picked up a hamstring injury against Canada in the Round of 16. Morocco will hope that Azzedine Ounahi will step to the goalscoring plate again, after scoring two goals in their win vs. Canada.
The winner of this matchup will face the winner of Spain vs. Belgium on July 14 in Dallas.
