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The quarterfinals of the kick off this Thursday with a high-stakes clash: France and Morocco will face off at 16:00 Cuba time at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, with a spot in the semifinals on the line.
The match has a memorable background that no fan forgets: the semifinal of Qatar 2022, when the French team defeated the Atlas Lions 2-0, with goals from Theo Hernández in the fifth minute and Randal Kolo Muani in the 79th, thwarting Morocco's dream of becoming the first African team to reach a World Cup final.
Four years later, the reunion comes with the same desire for revenge on one side and the same ambition to establish itself as a power on the other.
France arrives at this crossroads as one of the top favorites for the title, with five wins in five matches and having conceded not a single defeat in the tournament.
The Didier Deschamps team defeated Paraguay 1-0 in the Round of 16 thanks to a penalty by Kylian Mbappé in the 70th minute, and in the group stage, they completed a perfect run with three victories: 3-1 against Senegal, 3-0 against Iraq, and 4-1 against Norway.
Mbappé has accumulated seven goals and two assists in the tournament, placing him at the forefront of the race for the Golden Boot of the 2026 World Cup alongside Messi and Haaland, although FIFA's tiebreaker criteria — assists — give him an advantage over his rivals.
Morocco, led by Mohamed Ouahbi, enters the match with the belief that what was achieved in Qatar was not a coincidence.
The Atlas Lions defeated Canada 3-0 in the round of 16 with a brace from Azzedine Ounahi and a goal from Soufiane Rahimi, having previously eliminated the Netherlands on penalties in the round of 32.
Achraf Hakimi continues to be the driving force of the team, while Brahim Díaz has recorded four assists in the tournament and has become a key player in the Moroccan offense.
The referee for the match will be the Argentine Facundo Tello, and the winner will await in the semifinals for the victor of the clash between Spain and Belgium, scheduled for Friday, July 10, at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
The other two quarter-finals will be held on Saturday, July 11: Norway vs. England at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami (5:00 PM Cuba) and Argentina vs. Switzerland at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City (9:00 PM Cuba).
Morocco is seeking to break through the World Cup semifinals barrier for the first time in its history, while France, the world runner-up after losing to Argentina in the final of Qatar 2022, is chasing the title that slipped away four years ago.
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