France vs Morocco Live Score, FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-finals: All eyes on Kylian Mbappé in semi-final battle – The Tech Word News

The opening quarter-final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup promises to deliver one of the most exciting matches of the tournament as France take on Morocco at the Boston Stadium in a high-stakes rematch of their memorable 2022 World Cup semi-final. The winner will advance to the last four and face either Spain or Belgium.

France enter the match with the only perfect record of the tournament, having won all five of their matches in regular time. Didier Deschamps’ side comfortably negotiated Group I before beating Sweden 3-0 in the round of 32. Their round of 16 meeting with Paraguay proved much more challenging, but Kylian Mbappé converted a second-half penalty after Désiré Doué won a crucial foul inside the area to seal a 1-0 victory and keep Les Bleus on course for another deep World Cup run.

Morocco was equally impressive. The Atlas Lions remain unbeaten after five matches, with three wins and two draws, while extending their remarkable 34-game unbeaten run across all competitions. They beat Scotland and Haiti during the group stage, earned a valuable draw with Brazil, edged out the Netherlands in a dramatic round of 32 penalty shoot-out and then cruised to a commanding 3-0 win over tournament co-hosts Canada to reach the quarter-finals.

The lamp has significant historical weight. France ended Morocco’s fairytale journey to the 2022 World Cup with a 2-0 semi-final victory thanks to goals from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani. Overall, France hold the all-time lead with four wins from six matches, while Morocco have one win alongside two draws. Their only previous World Cup meeting remains the Qatar semi-final.

Much attention will once again be focused on Mbappé, who has scored seven goals in this tournament and remains firmly in the race for the Golden Boot. The French captain continues to climb the ranks of the competition’s top scorers and could add another milestone with a decisive performance in Boston.

Team selection also brings additional intrigue. France will be without midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni after he failed to recover from an adductor injury, meaning Manu Koné is expected to continue alongside Adrien Rabiot in midfield. Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola and Koné also enter the match one booking away from elimination.

Morocco suffered a major setback as Ismael Saibari was ruled out of the tournament after suffering a hamstring injury against Canada. Soufiane Rahimi is expected to replace him, while captain Achraf Hakimi, Nayef Aguerd and Romain Saïss continue to anchor the defensive unit.

With two unbeaten teams, a World Cup semi-final berth and a chance to settle unfinished business from Qatar, the opening quarter-final has all the ingredients for another memorable chapter between France and Morocco.