FRANCE faces its toughest test of the 2026 World Cup yet, as Morocco awaits at Gillette Stadium with a place in the semifinals on the line.
Foxborough plays host to a repeat of one of the semifinals from four years ago in Qatar, when the tournament’s surprise package sought to upset the holders. Les Bleus saw off the Atlas Lions in a 2–0 victory, setting up the greatest World Cup final there’s ever been.
Morocco now performs with the swagger of a World Cup veteran, and its improvement from 2022 suggests it’s capable of staging an upset here. France, though, are also more dangerous.
It had blown the competition away until Paraguay stopped them in its tracks last time out. An Mbappé spot-kick decided a rough and rugged affair, and the Real Madrid superstar rightfully condemned the racist remarks of Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla in the wake of France’s victory.
Mbappé is a man on a mission this summer, as he aims to inspire France to its third consecutive World Cup final.
France was semifinalists in 2018 and 2022. Only twice before has a nation gone on to reach the semifinals at three successive World Cups (Germany reached four between 2002 and 2014 and Brazil a trio between 1994 and 2002).
This is an exceptional side that overcame plenty in its last-16 duel with Paraguay. While the extent of the South Americans’ ’dark arts‘ was overblown, France nonetheless had to deal with a challenge it hadn’t yet encountered at this tournament.
This will probably be a game where France’s stellar counterattacking threat comes to the fore.
These two teams have each averaged more than 60% of possession at the tournament so far, but Didier Deschamps is bound to lean into France’s threat in transition against a Morocco team that will want to assert itself with the ball.
It could be lured into a false sense of security against this French team, one that has notched the most direct attacks (18) at the World Cup, per Opta. It is one of just three nations to score a tournament-high two goals from direct attacks.
An adductor injury kept Aurélien Tchouaméni out of France‘s last-16 triumph against Paraguay, and the Real Madrid midfielder, linked with a summer move to Manchester United, faces an uphill battle to recover in time for Thursday’s quarterfinal.
Tchouaméni hasn’t yet returned to training and is unlikely to return to Deschamps’ starting lineup, but forward Marcus Thuram should be back in the squad to provide depth.
Deschamps has settled on Lucas Digne at leftback, while Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué are vying for minutes ahead of the Aston Villa man. It’s a toss-up as to who’ll get the nod, with Paris Saint-Germain teammate Achraf Hakimi their one-on-one matchup.
Michael Olise and Manu Koné are a booking away from a one-match ban.
France predicted lineup vs. Morocco (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne; Koné, Rabiot; Dembélé, Olise, Barcola; Mbappé.
Morocco has four players walking a suspension tightrope on Sunday. Captain Achraf Hakimi, center backs Issa Diop and Redouane Halhal, as well as playmaker Bilal El Khannouss have all been booked in the knockout stages, and are thus a yellow card away from being suspended for the semifinal.
On the injury front, the Atlas Lions are desperate to have leading goalscorer Ismael Saibiri available against France. Bayern Munich’s summer arrival is dealing with a hamstring strain but hasn’t yet been ruled out of the match.
If he isn’t deemed fit, veteran center forward Soufiane Rahimi will start up top. Rahimi completed Morocco’s 3–0 victory in the round of 16 with a strike in stoppage time.