France vs Morocco: Can Atlas Lions Spring a Surprise on Tournament Favourites?
by Joseph King
France and Morocco meet once again in Boston
France and Morocco lock horns in Foxborough on Thursday to contest the first quarter-final matchup at the 2026 World Cup. Victory for France would put them one step closer in their quest to become only the third team ever to make the final in three consecutive editions. Morocco, meanwhile, have already made history once more by becoming the first African team to make two straight quarter-final appearances. A second straight trip to the semis further reinforces this generation of Moroccan players as the best ever African team at the World Cup.
This fixture is one we’ve seen before. France and Morocco met in the 2022 World Cup semi-finals, during which France won 2-0. While some of the names on the team sheet will look familiar, much has changed for both teams in the last four years.
How they got here
| Round | France | Score | Morocco | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MD1 | vs Senegal | 3-1 W | vs Brazil | 1-1 D |
| MD2 | vs Iraq | 3-0 W | vs Scotland | 1-0 W |
| MD3 | vs Norway | 4-1 W | vs Haiti | 4-2 W |
| RO32 | vs Sweden | 3-0 W | vs Netherlands | 1-1 (3-2 pen) W |
| RO16 | vs Paraguay | 1-0 W | vs Canada | 3-0 W |
Les Bleus come into this match in scintillating form having won all five of their matches so far with a combined score of 14-3. Paraguay were perhaps their biggest test yet, as the South American team was able to frustrate the 2018 champions for 75 minutes of play. It ultimately felt inevitable though and the goal eventually came via Mbappe from the penalty spot. France is equal with Argentina for the top scoring team in the competition with 14 goals and they’re the third best defensive side in the tournament with 0.4 goals allowed per match.
It’s been an interesting tournament from Morocco so far. They’ve shown flashes of excellence, such as outplaying both Brazil and the Netherlands for large stretches. But they’ve also had some struggles, laboring to a win vs Scotland and having to come back twice against Haiti. Against Canada, they were on the back foot for the first half, but showed their clinical scoring edge by netting three goals on just 5 total shots.
A rematch in name only
Flashback to 2022: Morocco make a sensational run to the semi-finals, built upon their highly-organised and disciplined mid-block and direct counter-attack. They held less possession than their opponent in 6 of their 7 matches played.
Interestingly, the only match that they finished with more possession was their semi-final defeat to France. That was largely down to game state as France’s Theo Hernandez scored in the first 10 minutes, forcing Morocco to come out of their defensive shell and chase a goal. They actually did enough to score in that game, creating 1.00 xG on 13 shots and 1 clear cut chance. However, Morocco’s system smashed head first into their ceiling, as they didn’t have the attacking quality to ultimately make the breakthrough.
Morocco: 2022 vs 2026 (per game)
- Possession: 38.6% → 60.4%
- Goals: 0.86 → 2.0
- xG: 0.96 → 1.66
- Big chances created: 1.14 → 3.40
- Shots on target: 2.60 → 5.00
This time around, though, Morocco have those types of players. Brahim Diaz, Ismael Saibari, El Khannouss, Talbi and Bouaddi significantly increase the technical ability in the squad, allowing more control of games and different avenues to find the goal. Morocco are no longer reactive, they're proactive in their approach, looking to dominate the ball. This change in tactical identity has our experts thinking that this game has goals in it, as discussed in our France vs Morocco prediction.
“We are no longer a surprise. When people talk about Morocco, they talk about a real contender." - Mohamed Ouahbi
As the manager put it, Morocco have evolved to the stage where they expect to go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the world. However, they were dealt a bitter blow to their chances with the injury to Ismael Saibari. The striker, who just completed a move to Bayern Munich, has been ruled out of contention by Ouahbi, although the Moroccan camp make it seem like a return at some point this tournament could be possible.
Player spotlight: the evolution of Mbappe
While Morocco has evolved as a team since 2022, there is another man that has also undergone some rather significant changes. That man is, of course, the prolific Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman has made the World Cup his personal stomping ground and is second all-time in the World Cup scoring record with 19 goals (2 behind Messi), incredibly just at 27 years of age.
France’s firepower is remarkable, boasting the likes of Dembele, Olise and Doue, but it’s Mbappe who is the focal point. The team is built around getting the absolute best out of him, and the 2026 World Cup is where the entire footballing world gets to see the Real Madrid man at the peak of his powers.
His game now consists of all of the attributes that he displayed in previous editions of this tournament: the same explosiveness of his 2018 breakout, the clinical finishing he showed cutting in from the left wing in 2022, and now the leadership, tactical maturity and full understanding of playing the central striker role, making him the complete forward.
The numbers back it up: 7 goals in 5 matches so far, putting him just one behind Lionel Messi for the Golden Boot. It will be fascinating to see if he can continue his scorching form against a formidable Moroccan side.
