France vs Morocco

France face Morocco at Boston Stadium on Thursday evening in the World Cup quarter-finals, aiming to reach the semi-finals for the third consecutive tournament.

Didier Deschamps' side have won all five of their matches without once falling behind. Morocco's unbeaten run of 34 matches and their capacity to hurt teams on the counter make them a genuine threat, even against a France side that has won every match at this tournament. Deschamps steps onto the touchline for his 25th World Cup match, equalling Helmut Schön's long-standing record.

Aurélien Tchouaméni remains absent. The Real Madrid midfielder has not returned to training since sustaining an adductor injury before the Paraguay match and is not expected to feature.

Manu Koné keeps his place in the midfield double pivot alongside Adrien Rabiot. Marcus Thuram has recovered from the calf problem that kept him out of the Paraguay game and is available to provide attacking depth from the bench.

Michael Olise carries a yellow card into this fixture. FIFA rejected France's appeal against the booking he received against Paraguay, meaning a second caution on Thursday would rule him out of the semi-final.

Bradley Barcola and Manu Koné are in the same position. Deschamps is expected to name an unchanged side from the Paraguay win. Olise starts despite the suspension risk — his five tournament assists make him too important to leave out.

Kylian Mbappé captains the side and carries seven tournament goals into the quarter-final. He sits second in the Golden Boot standings, one behind Messi's eight, and level with Haaland on seven.

Ousmane Dembélé operates from the right, with Barcola and Olise completing the front four around Mbappé. Jules Koundé, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano and Lucas Digne form the back four. Mike Maignan continues in goal.

France possible starting XI (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne; Kone, Rabiot; Dembele, Olise, Barcola; Mbappe

The FIFA World Cup quarter-final kicks off at 21:00 BST on Thursday, 9 July 2026.

How to watch France vs Morocco?

The match will be broadcast live on ITV1, ITVX and STV in the UK.

Read more – France vs Morocco – Match preview and team news

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