Morocco meet France again in the World Cup quarter-finals, four years on from Qatar

Four years after France ended Morocco’s fairytale in Qatar, the two meet again with a World Cup semi-final on the line. Thursday’s quarter-final in Boston is the pick of the last eight, and for Morocco it carries an edge that goes beyond the tie itself. This is the rematch they have been waiting for.

In December 2022, France won the semi-final 2-0 at Al Bayt Stadium. Theo Hernandez volleyed them ahead inside five minutes and Randal Kolo Muani settled it late, and Morocco, the first African and Arab nation to reach a World Cup semi-final, went home with the tournament’s warmest goodbye but nothing to show for it. Walid Regragui’s side have spent the years since insisting they belong at this level. Beating Canada 3-0 in the round of 16 to reach a second straight quarter-final was their answer.

Morocco arrive with belief, not just goodwill

That win in Houston had everything Morocco have become known for. Azzedine Ounahi scored twice, the second a clean strike from the edge of the box, Soufiane Rahimi added a third in stoppage time, and Achraf Hakimi pulled the strings from right-back. They are the first African nation to reach the World Cup quarter-finals more than once, and they knocked out a host country to do it. There is nothing fluky about this run, which also took them past the Netherlands in a penalty shootout in the previous round.

Getting past France is another matter. Didier Deschamps’ side have won all five of their games at this World Cup, and Kylian Mbappe is playing like a man who intends to end it with both the trophy and the Golden Boot. His penalty saw off Paraguay in the last 16, his seventh goal of the tournament, and he goes into the quarter-final level at the top of the scoring chart. France will be without the injured Aurelien Tchouameni in midfield, which is the one obvious dent in an otherwise settled team.

A different Morocco, a familiar France

What makes this tie compelling is that neither side is quite the version from 2022. France look more reliant on Mbappe than ever and a shade less watertight at the back. Morocco are deeper, more experienced, and no longer content just to be here. They have believed for years that the gap to the elite is smaller than the scoreline in Qatar suggested, and this is the night to prove it.

Kick-off at Gillette Stadium is 1:30am IST on Friday, an awkward hour for Indian viewers but the kind of match worth losing sleep over. Win, and Morocco are in a World Cup semi-final for the second time in a row. For France, anything less than the last four would count as a letdown.

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