The race for the 2026 FIFA World Cup title enters the quarter-final stage on Thursday, with France taking on Morocco in one of the tournament’s biggest fixtures.
France, chasing a third World Cup crown, have emerged as one of the standout teams of the competition after scoring 14 goals in five matches. Captain Kylian Mbappé has led the charge with seven goals and is among the leading contenders for the tournament’s Golden Boot.
The quarter-final at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough will be a repeat of the 2022 World Cup semi-final, which France won 2-0 before finishing as runners-up to Argentina.
Morocco, the reigning African champions, have impressed throughout the tournament, advancing from the group stage before eliminating the Netherlands and Canada in the knockout rounds. Under coach Mohamed Ouahbi, the Atlas Lions have combined disciplined defending with technical quality and tactical organisation.
The winners will face either Spain or Belgium in the semi-finals. Spain booked their place in the last eight with a 1-0 victory over Portugal, while Belgium recovered from a slow start to the tournament to defeat Senegal and the United States in the knockout rounds.
Elsewhere, defending champions Argentina will take on Switzerland on Saturday after surviving two dramatic knockout matches.
Argentina came from two goals down to defeat Egypt 3-2 in the Round of 16, with Lionel Messi scoring the equaliser after earlier missing a penalty. The victory followed another hard-fought extra-time win over Cape Verde in the previous round.
Messi admitted the comeback victory was an emotional one as Argentina kept alive their hopes of retaining the World Cup title.
The winners of the Argentina-Switzerland clash will face either Norway or England in the semi-finals.
England reached the quarter-finals after edging Mexico 3-2 in a thrilling encounter, boosting their hopes of winning a first major international trophy since 1966.
Midfielder Jude Bellingham said the victory had strengthened the team’s belief that they could go all the way in the tournament.
Standing in England’s way is a confident Norway side led by striker Erling Haaland, who scored both goals in his team’s victory over Brazil in the Round of 16.
Norway coach Stale Solbakken acknowledged England’s quality but expressed confidence that his side could compete in what he expects to be a closely contested quarter-final.
