2026 World Cup: France vs. Morocco, Probable Lineups

Starting with the quarterfinals, the 2026 World Cup will be held exclusively in the United States, as the matches scheduled in the other two host countries—Canada and Mexico—have now concluded: The first exciting matchup is between France and Morocco, two teams that have never hidden their ambitions since the World Cup kicked off. The match kicks off at 10 p.m. Italian time, 4 p.m. local time, in Foxborough, Massachusetts, at Gillette Stadium. Argentine referee Facundo Tello will officiate the match, an appointment that was the subject of much debate leading up to the game.

France is the only team among the 48 World Cup participants to have won all its knockout-round matches in regulation time: after defeating Senegal 3-1, Iraq 3-0, and Norway 4-1 in Group I, Les Bleus swept aside Sweden with a 3-0 victory in the Round of 16 before struggling against an aggressive Paraguay, defeating them 1-0 thanks to a penalty kick converted by Mbappé in the 70th minute. The French No. 10 is the player everyone is watching most closely: in addition to him, more is expected from Olise and Dembelé, who were somewhat overshadowed against Paraguay.

On the other side is a Morocco team that remains undefeated so far: in the group stage, they drew 1-1 with Brazil and won 1-0 against Scotland and 4-2 against Haiti, in the Round of 16, they edged out the Netherlands only in a penalty shootout (3-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at the 120-minute mark), before crushing Canada 3-0 in the Round of 16. Saibari will be out after getting injured against Canada; fans’ eyes will be on Brahim Diaz and Ounahi—the latter having scored twice in the Round of 16—as well as captain Achraf Hakimi.

Probable Lineups

FRANCE (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne; Koné, Rabiot; Dembelé, Olise, Barcola; Mbappé. Head Coach: Deschamps.

MOROCCO (4-2-3-1): Bono; Hakimi, Diop, Riad, Mazraoui; El Aynaoui, Bouaddi; Brahim Diaz, Ounahi, El Khannouss; Rahimi. Head Coach: Ouahbi.