France vs Morocco: Who will book a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-finals?
The quarter-final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will see France take on Morocco on Thursday, July 9, with kick-off scheduled for 22:00 CET. Here is my betting tip for the match.
France vs Morocco: Match preview
France are in outstanding form heading into this encounter. Les Bleus have won all five of their matches at the World Cup, topped their group, and progressed through the knockout stages with impressive authority. In the group stage, they defeated Senegal 3-1, Iraq 3-0, and Norway 4-1 before cruising past Sweden 3-0 in the opening knockout round. Didier Deschamps' side then edged Paraguay 1-0 in the Round of 16 thanks to a Kylian Mbappé penalty.
Morocco have also been highly impressive, remaining unbeaten in their last 34 international matches. They opened their World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against Brazil before defeating Scotland and Haiti to qualify for the knockout stage in second place. In the Round of 32, the Atlas Lions eliminated the Netherlands in a penalty shootout before Walid Regragui's side comfortably beat co-hosts Canada 3-0 in the Round of 16.
These two nations also met at the previous FIFA World Cup, facing each other in the semi-finals. Goals from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani secured France's place in the final. Les Bleus eventually finished as runners-up, while Morocco ended the tournament in fourth place.
Match facts and head-to-head
- Morocco are unbeaten in their last 34 competitive matches.
- France have scored at least three goals in four of their five matches at this tournament.
- The last meeting between these teams came at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, when France claimed a 2-0 victory.
Probable line-ups
- France: Maignan; Koundé, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne; Koné, Rabiot; Dembélé, Olise, Barcola; Mbappé
- Morocco: Bounou; Hakimi, Diop, Riad, Mazraoui; El Aynaoui, Bouaddi; Díaz, Ounahi, El Khannouss; Rahimi
Prediction
A fiercely contested encounter is expected between these two sides. I do not anticipate a high-scoring affair, so my betting tip is under 3.0 total goals in the match.
