Morocco aim to continue making history when they face France on Thursday evening at Boston Stadium in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals, a clash that evokes memories of their semi-final meeting at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The Atlas Lions enter the match seeking redemption after losing 2-0 to France in the previous edition, when they became the first Arab and African team to reach the World Cup semi-finals.

But Morocco's task appears more difficult this time, as they face the most expensive team in World Cup history, with France's market value reaching €1.52 billion according to Transfermarkt, the highest figure recorded for a team since the tournament began.

During the 2026 World Cup, France set a new record for the highest market value of a starting lineup in a single match, with their starting players valued at €908 million.

Related news

Related news

Les Bleus are led by a host of the world's top stars, including Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, and Michael Olise, with the market value of the attacking quartet alone exceeding €550 million.

In contrast, Morocco's market value stands at €447.4 million, less than a third of their French opponents, with Achraf Hakimi topping the list of the Atlas Lions' most valuable players at €80 million, followed by young midfielder Ayoub Bouaddi at €50 million.

Despite the wide gap in market value and potential, Morocco enter the match driven by the ambition to repeat their Qatar 2022 achievement and continue the dream of reaching the semi-finals for the second consecutive time, in one of the tournament's toughest matches.