France all set to face Morocco in the first quarterfinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Gillette Stadium.
According to Sports Illustrator, both nations arrive with impressive pedigrees. France is a two-time World Cup winner, lifting the trophy in 1998 and 2018 before finishing as runner-up in 2006 and 2022.
Meanwhile Morocco made history by becoming the first African nation to reach a World Cup semifinal in Qatar and enter this tournament as reigning Africa Cup of Nations champions.
Start time
The first quarterfinal of the mega tournament is set to take place on Thursday, July 9, at 4pm (20:00 GMT).
Spearheaded by Golden Boot leader Kylian Mbappe, and boasting a tantalising trio of Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola, France have arguably the most lethal and enviable attacking unit in the tournament.
France vs Morocco prediction
The Opta supercomputer gives France a 61.7 percent likelihood of winning in regulation time, while Morocco’s chances of winning are 16.2 percent.
The model estimates a 22.1 percent probability of the game going to extra time.
How to watch France vs Morocco
• France: beIN SPORTS 1 (10pm, Central European Summer Time)
• Morocco: beIN SPORTS (9pm, Western European Summer Time)
• United States: Peacock, Fox, Fox One, Telemundo App, Telemundo Network (4pm, Eastern Daylight Time)
• United Kingdom: BBC One, BBC iPlayer (9pm, British Summer Time)
France vs Morocco: Head-to-head
The last time Morocco met France was when the Atlas Lions made their maiden World Cup semifinal appearance. It dates back to December 2022, and Morocco suffered a 2-0 defeat.
Overall, they have met six times, with France winning four matches while two ended in a draw.
France’s predicted lineup
Maignan (goalkeeper); Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne; Kone, Rabiot; Dembele, Olise, Barcola; Mbappe
Morocco’s predicted lineup
Bounou (goalkeeper); Hakimi, Diop, Riad, Mazraoui; El Aynaoui, Bouaddi; Diaz, Ounahi, El Khannouss; Rahimi
