LOS ANGELES: France begin their final push towards a third World Cup crown on Thursday when they take on Morocco in a blockbuster showdown as a star-studded quarter-final line-up kicks off.
After a month of scintillating action that has dispelled pre-tournament anxieties over sky-high ticket prices and geopolitics, the biggest, boldest and most logistically complex World Cup ever staged has been whittled down to eight teams.
France, who have emerged as the outstanding team of the tournament after a series of dazzling attacking displays, face arguably their toughest test so far in the shape of African champions Morocco at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, outside Boston.
Les Bleus have surged into the last eight in style, scoring 14 goals in five games — seven of them from in-form captain Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe is one of four star strikers who are leading the chase for the World Cup’s Golden Boot as the tournament enters the home stretch.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi tops the scoring chart with eight, Mbappe and Norway’s Erling Haaland have seven each and England’s Harry Kane has six.
Thursday’s opening quarter-final is a repeat of the 2022 World Cup semi-final in Qatar, won 2-0 by France, who would go on to lose in the final against Argentina.
Morocco, meanwhile, have looked impressive en route to the last eight, easing through the group phase before battling past the Netherlands in the last 32 and swatting aside Canada in the round-of-16 last weekend.
The Atlas Lions will threaten France with a mix of technical quality, physicality and tactical nous under the guidance of coach Mohamed Ouahbi, who masterminded Morocco’s shock victory in the under-20 World Cup last year.
MORE EFFICIENT
On the other hand, France have scored a tournament-leading 14 goals in the World Cup so far but coach Didier Deschamps urged his players on Wednesday to achieve even greater attacking efficiency.
“We have to be efficient, offensively speaking,” Deschamps told a press conference. “In all the areas both teams have strong assets.
“We are efficient but we could have done better on this front. Sometimes you have six chances and score two goals and sometimes you have two chances and score twice. It is more important to be efficient.”
France edged past Paraguay in the round of 16 with a scrappy 1-0 win courtesy of a Mbappe penalty. The France captain has seven goals in the tournament, second behind Argentina’s Lionel Messi, who has eight.
Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola have given France one of the most dangerous forward lines at the World Cup.
Morocco eased through their group stage, before knocking out Netherlands and co-hosts Canada, and confirming their status as serious title contenders.
“Morocco’s profile is not the one of Paraguay. We met them four years ago in the semi-finals,” Deschamps said. “They played the AFCON (Africa Cup of Nations) final. They have top individuals. They are not here to play. They are here to win. We have to be ready and perform and deliver against this great team.”
Deschamps will need to wait and see whether midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, who has been nursing a muscle injury, will be fit in time for the game.
“He feels better but I left early from the hotel this morning. I cannot say more. He might take part in training today. All other players they are available,” Deschamps said.
As for France’s appeal to have Michael Olise’s yellow card in the game against Paraguay rescinded, Deschamps said FIFA had informed them the caution stood.
The ruling comes days after the furore caused by FIFA’s decision to suspend a match ban after a red card was given to US player Folarin Balogun and following an intervention by President Donald Trump.
The winner will advance to a semi-final showdown against the victor of Friday’s tie in Los Angeles between European champions Spain and Belgium.
Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2026