As mentioned earlier, France have won every single game so far in FIFA World Cup 2026. Here's a recap of their journey to the quarter-finals:

Group C, Game 1: 3-1 win vs Senegal
Group C, Game 2: 3-0 win vs Iraq
Group C, Game 3: 3-1 win vs Norway

Round of 32: 3-0 win vs Sweden
Round of 16: 1-0 win vs Paraguay

One of the rising stars of FIFA World Cup 2026 has been Morocco's 18-year-old central midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi. But even one month before the World Cup, Bouaddi was considered French in international football. Born in France, Bouaddi played for France at five different youth levels, from U16 to U21. But on May 15 2026, he switched allegiance to Morocco, being able to do so thanks to his Moroccan roots. Will France get to see first hand on what they have missed out on today?

France and Morocco met in the semi-final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. On that day, France won 2-0, thanks to goals from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo-Muani. Theo is on France's bench today, while Kolo-Muani is not in the squad. 

France's Michael Olise is the top assister of FIFA World Cup 2026 with five assists. He is just one assists away from matching Brazil icon Pele for the most assists in a single edition of the World Cup. Pele had six assists in 1970. Two assists for Olise today, and he will surpass Pele!

France XI vs Morocco: Here's France's starting XI to take on Morocco in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final today. Didier Deschamps makes one change to the lineup that started against Paraguay in the previous round: Desire Doue replaces Bradley Barcola on the left-wing. Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise all start in attack, as expected.

Le XI pour ce 1/4 de finale

Coup d'envoi a 22h00 sur M6 et beIN SPORTS 1 #FRAMAR l #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/KxbdDGToiE

— Equipe de France (@equipedefrance) July 9, 2026

Morocco XI vs France: Here's Morocco's starting XI to take on France in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final today. An interesting approach taken by manager Mohamed Ouahbi, as Brahim Diaz is likely to play as a false nine, with Chemsdine Talbi and Bilal el Khannouss on the wings.

Our National Team's against France #DimaMaghrib #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/Y66ePsQLkN

— Equipe du Maroc (@EnMaroc) July 9, 2026

Both France and Morocco head into their quarter-final clash with big injury worries. France are likely to be without defensive midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, who suffered a minor injury ahead of their Round of 16 match against Paraguay. On the other hand, Morocco will be without their top-scorer of the World Cup, Ismael Saibari, who suffered a hamstring injury in their Round of 16 clash against Canada.

There is a distinct French flavour in Morocco's World Cup 2026 squad. As many six players of Morocco's 26-man squad are born in France, with two of them -- centre-back Issa Diop and midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi -- being crucial members of their regular XI. Five players of the squad play their club football in France.

France are yet to lose a game in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026, and have firmly lived up to the tag of 'favourites'. Given their performances so far, it would be hard to argue that they haven't been the best team of the tournament so far. With Mbappe in great form, Michael Olise pulling the strings and Ousmane Dembele scoring goals too, France's attack has found a way in every game.

France captain and star striker Kylian Mbappe is one goal away from becoming only the second player to score 20 FIFA World Cup goals. If he scores against Morocco, Mbappe will become the first player to score 20 World Cup goals before the age of 30. He needs two goals today to overtake Lionel Messi in the all-time World Cup top-scorers list.

Morocco have once again established themselves as the best African side. They made history in 2022 by becoming the first African nation to qualify for the semi-finals of a World Cup. Now, they are just one victory away from becoming the first African nation to reach the World Cup semis twice. It will be a daunting task up against France, but Morocco certainly have the talent to ruffle some feathers.

Champions in 2018, runners-up in 2022, and now France have a golden opportunity to reach a third consecutive FIFA World Cup semi-final. Through the course of the ongoing tournament, France have emerged as one of the favourites once again, and Kylian Mbappe and co. are certainly the favourites to win this match. France are yet to lose or even draw a single match so far!

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the first quarter-final of FIFA World Cup 2026. It's a blockbuster encounter as France take on Morocco, in a repeat of the 2022 semi-final, at Boston Stadium. Stay tuned to NDTV Sports for all the live updates from the match!