World Cup: Morocco, France kick off blockbuster quarter-final battles as title race narrows

The 2026 FIFA World Cup enters its decisive stage on Thursday with Morocco and France renewing their growing rivalry in the first of four mouth-watering quarter-final fixtures across North America.

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The clash is a repeat of the 2022 World Cup semi-final, where France ended Morocco’s historic run with a 2-0 victory before going on to reach the final.

This time, the Atlas Lions return with another opportunity to make history after becoming the first African nation to reach the World Cup quarter-finals in back-to-back tournaments.

Morocco booked their place in the last eight with an impressive 3-0 victory over Canada, while France edged Paraguay 1-0 thanks to Kylian Mbappé’s second-half penalty to maintain their perfect record in the tournament.

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Although France and Morocco have met six times at the senior international level, only one of those meetings has come at the World Cup. Their previous encounters have largely been friendlies, making Thursday’s contest only the second meeting between the sides on football’s biggest stage.

Morocco’s remarkable consistency has been one of the stories of the tournament. From Walid Regragui to Coach Mohamed Ouahbi, the Atlas Lions have extended their unbeaten run in normal time to 34 matches after defeating Canada.

They remain Africa’s sole representative at this World Cup following Egypt’s elimination in the Round of 16.

France, meanwhile, arrive as one of the favourites for the title. Didier Deschamps’ side is the only remaining team to have won all five of their matches inside 90 minutes and have scored 14 goals, with Mbappé leading their attack.

**Eight teams are left in the quest for glory (CREDIT: FIFA World Cup X Page)**

The France-Morocco showdown opens an intriguing quarter-final programme that also features Spain against Belgium, Norway against England, and defending champions Argentina against Switzerland.

Even before kickoff, this year’s last eight has already produced several milestones. For the first time in World Cup history, neither Brazil nor Germany reached the quarter-finals, while Norway have advanced to this stage for the first time. Four nations—Morocco, Belgium, Norway and Switzerland—are still chasing a maiden World Cup title.

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With only eight teams left in contention, the race for football’s biggest prize is entering its final stretch, and the battle between France and Morocco promises to set the tone for what could be the tournament’s most dramatic phase.