2026 World Cup Quarter-Final: France - Morocco Intercontinental Big Derby

In the first quarter-final match of the 2026 World Cup, France and Morocco will face off in Boston on Thursday, 9 July. This exciting match, which is somewhat of a repeat of the 2022 Qatar semi-final, holds great significance for both sides. France, the runner-up of the last World Cup, will take the field strongly to reclaim the trophy once again. On the other hand, Morocco, having achieved one of the biggest surprises in recent years and making a name for themselves, will enter this tough battle as the pride of African football. One of the most notable details of the match will be the presence of their captains Kylian Mbappé and Achraf Hakimi against their former PSG teammates in this critical duel.

France drew attention with their superior performance from the group stage en route to reaching the quarter-finals. "Le Bleus", under the management of Didier Deschamps, finished as group leaders with maximum points, defeating Senegal 3-1, Iraq 3-0, and Norway 4-1 in Group I. The next opponent for our team, who gained great self-confidence by beating Sweden 3-0 in the Round of 16 with goals from Mbappé and Barcola, was Paraguay. Struggling a bit more against Paraguay, the French side managed to defeat their opponent 1-0 with a penalty goal from Mbappé in the 70th minute. With this goal, France's captain Mbappé increased his goal tally in the tournament to seven, clearly laying down his claim in the race for the top scorer.

Morocco, on the other hand, as one of the countries that has made the most noise in world football recently, will face a tough test in this match. Morocco, also known as the "Atlas Lions", finished Group C in second place, level on points with Brazil. Drawing 1-1 with the South American giant Brazil, Morocco defeated Scotland 1-0 and Haiti 4-2 to successfully complete the group. Advancing to the next round, the team eliminated their opponent 3-2 on penalties in the Round of 16 match against the Netherlands, which ended 1-1. The students of Mohamed Ouahbi, who clearly beat Canada 3-0 at their home in the Round of 16, made history by entering the top eight teams in the world for the second consecutive time.

Looking at historical statistics, it is clearly seen that Morocco's job against France is not easy at all. These two teams have met a total of five times in official or friendly matches to date, with France taking three victories and two matches ending in a draw. Despite becoming one of the strongest national teams in the world in recent years, Morocco has not yet managed to secure a single victory against France in their history. The only official match between the two teams was played in the 2022 World Cup semi-final, where France won this tough encounter 2-0 and booked their place in the final. However, Morocco's incredible rise in recent years has made the possibility of a different outcome this time a focal point for football fans.

This critical duel, which will be played at the giant stadium in Boston, Massachusetts on Thursday, 9 July at 23:00 TSİ, will be broadcast live on Antena 1. The winner of this quarter-final match will earn the right to face the winner of the giant duel between Spain and Belgium in the semi-final. The semi-final match, which will be played at the stadium in Dallas on 14 July, is awaited with great excitement by the entire football world. While the odds for France, shown as the favorite by betting companies, are kept quite low, a surprise victory for Morocco is evaluated with high odds. This massive encounter will not only provide unforgettable moments for football fans but will also clearly prove on the pitch which team is stronger.