World Cup 2026 July 9 preview: France face Morocco test
Shafaq News- Foxborough
France face Morocco in the only World Cup match on July 9, with the quarter-final at Boston Stadium scheduled for 23:00 Baghdad time and a place in the semi-finals at stake.
The winner will face Spain or Belgium in the last four, after both teams reached the other quarter-final in the same half of the draw.
The fixture is a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semi-final, when France ended Morocco’s historic run in Qatar. This time, Morocco are a confident side no longer entering the meeting as surprise outsiders.
France reached the quarter-finals after beating Paraguay 1-0 in the round of 16, with Kylian Mbappe scoring his seventh goal of the tournament. Didier Deschamps’ side had earlier beaten Sweden 3-0, but Morocco will offer France their first complete examination of the campaign.
Morocco advanced with a 3-0 win over Canada after coming through a difficult group unbeaten, collecting seven points against Brazil, Scotland, and Haiti, making Morocco the first African team to reach back-to-back World Cup quarter-finals.
France assistant coach Guy Stephan said the Paraguay match had strengthened France after a physically and mentally demanding tie, but described Morocco as a “well-organized” and “well-structured” team with solidity, transition threat, and individual quality on both sides.
France are likely to be without Aurelien Tchouameni because of a muscle injury, while Morocco are expected to miss Ismael Saibari.
Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, and Bradley Barcola give France one of the tournament’s strongest attacks, but Morocco’s organization and speed on the break make the quarter-final a different test from France’s previous knockout matches.
