World Cup Preview: France and Morocco renew their hostilities
Across France's heretofore irresistible form and the waves Morocco made in their run to the semifinals of the 2022 edition of the competition, it's no understatement to say that tomorrow's quarterfinal between the two is the most anticipated match of the World Cup to date, and the one with the highest stakes. Get the latest on tomorrow's match in Boston with the Ligue 1 McDonald's team.
Doué or Barcola?
Almost three years on from France's 2-0 win over the Atlas Lions in Qatar, the stakes are lower, and the players have changed, but there's no doubting the likely quality of the match. For France, much has changed, including the retirements of centurions Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud, Raphaël Varane and Hugo Lloris, all of whom started that match. Another player who started that match, Youssouf Fofana, hasn't been capped since 2024, underscoring what has been a sea change under Didier Deschamps.
But while the midfield and defense are much-changed, the attack will still be reliant on Kylian Mbappé, who is playing up to his familiar high standards in this tournament, and Ousmane Dembélé, who has won a pair of Champions League titles and the Ballon d'Or since joining Paris Saint-Germain. Who will partner the two between Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué remains the biggest decision that veteran manager Deschamps has to make.
Pre-match, Deschamps lauded his team's attack, which also includes Michael Olise, saying, "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."
Doué changed the game by winning a penalty and showing plenty of attacking verve against Paraguay off the bench in the previous round, but Barcola has contributed two goals and an assist in the course of the tournament, despite a sometimes-inconsistent season for PSG, leaving "DD" a tough and potentially pivotal choice.
Tomorrow. 🇫🇷🇲🇦 pic.twitter.com/qnTYsGra9K
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) July 8, 2026
No Saibari, no problem?
As for Morocco, they've also had plenty of turnover, with only Achraf Hakimi, Noussair Mazraoui, Azzedine Ounahi and goalkeeper Yassine Bounou likely to start from the team in Qatar. There's also been change on the bench, with Walid Regragui departing after a contentious Africa Cup of Nations final, replaced by Mohamed Ouahbi, who has impressed in his first spell in charge of a senior side.
He's been boosted by strong displays from younger players like Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi and Bilal El-Khanouss, but will be without a key element of his attack in Ismael Saibari, who netted a goal in each of his side's three group games playing as a false nine. Now injured, he'll be replaced by one of Soufiane Rahimi or Ayoub El Kaabi, each of whom are far less mobile and could struggle against the pace of the French defence, making this likely to be an intense and low-scoring match
Predicted lineups:
France (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne; Koné, Rabiot; Dembélé, Olise, Doué; Mbappé
Morocco (4-2-3-1): Bounou; Hakimi, Diop,Halhal, Mazraoui; Bouaddi, El Aynaoui; Diaz, Ounahi, El-Khanouss; Rahimi
Read more:
