The meeting between Morocco and France renews as they face each other Thursday at Gillette Stadium near Boston, in the opening match of the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup held in North America.

Morocco achieved an unprecedented feat for an Arab and African team when they reached the semi-finals in 2022 in Qatar, before the adventure ended at the hands of Kylian Mbappe and his French teammates, who lost the final to Lionel Messi's Argentina on penalties.

After a month of exciting competition that saw 280 goals scored in 96 matches, the number of teams has shrunk from 48 to 8, as the dream of winning the title draws closer in the final scheduled for July 19 at East Rutherford.

France has established itself since the start of the tournament as one of the strongest contenders for the title, but the brilliant Morocco will try to take revenge and thus end coach Didier Deschamps' journey with Les Bleus after a 14-year stint in which he won the 2018 title and reached the 2022 final.

Deschamps, one of only three men to have won the World Cup as both player and coach, said Wednesday that he does not think much about his personal legacy, adding: 'I don't think about that at all. In my mind and with my staff, the goal is only to do everything we can to make things go well. My focus is on the Morocco national team and on making things go in our favor.'

The French coach also downplayed widespread concerns on social media about the appointment of Argentine referee Facundo Tello and the potential problem it might pose for his team.

It appears that France and Argentina are on course for a highly anticipated final meeting, repeating the '2022 scenario'.

Deschamps said: 'There are always decisions that can be controversial, depending on which side you belong to, but our opponent is Morocco. I cannot count the referee as an enemy.'

Deschamps enters history by leading his 25th match in the finals, equaling the record, but achieving the 20th win is not guaranteed; three of France's World Cup defeats this century (excluding penalties) have come against African teams (3 out of 6).

Morocco showed great efficiency in the round of 16, scoring three goals without conceding against Canada, one of the three host nations, from only five shots on target.

The Atlas Lions are behind the only two unbeaten runs by an African team across five matches in a single World Cup edition.

Morocco has the potential to test Deschamps' team, thanks to a strong mix of technical skills, physical strength, and tactical intelligence under the guidance of coach Mohamed Ouhbi.

Deschamps said: 'We faced them four years ago in the semi-finals, and they played in the Africa Cup of Nations final,' adding: 'They are a very good team with excellent players, and they didn't come here by chance. It will be a clash between two teams that love possession, attacking, and scoring goals.'

From the Moroccan side, English Sunderland winger Shamseddine Talbi said after Tuesday's training session: 'We feel good after recovering from the tough match against Canada, and we are now focusing on facing France and achieving the goal of reaching the semi-finals.'

The substitute, who assisted the equalizer against the Netherlands in the round of 32, added: 'It's definitely a match every child dreams of playing, but we must focus on ourselves, be at our best, and make our country very proud of us.'

Meanwhile, Dutch PSV defender Anas Salah Eddine said: 'France has a good team and so do we, and we have shown that so far in this tournament, and we are working seriously in preparation for them.'

The winner of Thursday's match will face in the semi-finals the winner of Friday's match in Los Angeles between European champions Spain and Belgium.

Spain, who have not conceded a goal yet, are favorites to overcome Belgium after eliminating Portugal led by Cristiano Ronaldo in the round of 16, while their neighbors and upcoming opponents achieved a resounding 4-1 victory over the United States in the same round.

On the other side of the draw, defending champions Argentina face Switzerland in Kansas City on Saturday, after reaching the quarter-finals with difficulty.

The South American team, seeking to become the first to retain the title since Brazil in 1962, struggled to get past Cape Verde in the round of 32, and the scene repeated on Tuesday in the round of 16 against Egypt, who seemed on course for a stunning surprise by leading 2-0 until the 79th minute, before Messi and his teammates turned the tables to win 3-2 with a goal in stoppage time.

Messi, who missed a penalty in the first half, said: 'We did not want the end to be today. We did not want to go home.'

Argentina or Switzerland will face the winner of the match between Norway and England, who meet in Miami on Saturday.

England reached the quarter-finals after a thrilling 3-2 victory over Mexico, one of the three host nations, giving the Three Lions renewed confidence in their quest for their first major title since 1966.

Standing in England's way is a strong Norwegian team led by striker Erling Haaland, who scored both goals in the 2-0 win over Brazil in the round of 16 on Sunday.

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