France and Morocco met in the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
The match took place in Foxborough, Massachusetts. France beat Morocco in the semifinals of the 2022 tournament in Qatar, when Morocco became the first African team to reach that stage.
France is looking to become only the third nation to play in the final of three consecutive World Cups. Morocco aims to pull an upset over the favored Les Bleus.
Six Moroccan players were born on French soil: Ayyoub Bouaddi (Senlis), Issa Diop (Toulouse), Neil El Aynaoui (Nancy), Redouane Halhal (Montpellier), Samir El Mourabet (Strasbourg) and Gessime Yassine (Salon-de-Provence). Out of 26 players on Morocco's squad, 19 were born outside the country.
Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi said: "We have a huge fan base internationally speaking, and we're really proud of this. There are Moroccan fans around the entire world... They are supporting us. We feel the energy... In the difficult moments, we should think about those people, that we're not alone. We're fighting for an entire nation."
France captain Kylian Mbappé and Moroccan players also have ties from club play. The match highlights the connections between the teams.