France entered the tournament with only the best record, winning all five of their matches during the reign. The team of Didier Deschamps talked freely before the First Group defeated Sweden 3-0 in the Round of 32. Their meeting of 16 with Paraguay was very difficult, but Kylian Mbappé converted the second goal after Désiré Doué won a mistake in the area to secure a 1-0 World Cup victory for Les Bleus.
Morocco has been equally impressive. The Atlas Lions remain unbeaten after five matches, including three wins and two draws and extending their unbeaten run to 34 games across all competitions. They defeated Scotland and Haiti in the group stage, impressed against Brazil, got past the Netherlands in a shocker in the Round of 32, then won 3-0 against rivals Canada to reach the quarter-finals.
The painting has a very long history. France ended their fairytale trip to Morocco at the 2022 World Cup with a 2-0 semi-final victory thanks to goals from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani. Overall, France have the upper hand with four wins from six meetings, while Morocco registered one victory along with two draws. Their previous World Cup meeting was the semi-final of Qatar.
Much attention will also fall on Mbappé, who has scored seven goals in the competition and remains a contender for the Golden Boot. The French captain continues to climb the list of the tournament’s top scorers and could add another goal with a successful performance in Boston.
Choosing a team also has an added appeal. France will be without midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni after failing to recover from an adductor injury, meaning Manu Koné is expected to continue alongside Adrien Rabiot in midfield. Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola and Koné will also join the game after suspension.
Morocco suffered a major setback when tournament standout Ismael Saibari was almost injured by Canada. Soufiane Rahimi is expected to replace him, while captain Achraf Hakimi, Nayef Aguerd and Romain Saïss continue to strengthen the defensive unit.
With two undefeated teams, a place in the semi-finals of the World Cup and the chance to settle unfinished business from Qatar, the quarter-finals have everything needed for another memorable title between France and Morocco.