The rendezvous between Morocco and France is renewed when they meet on Thursday at Gillette Stadium near Boston, opening the quarterfinal round of the 2026 World Cup held in North America.

Morocco achieved an unprecedented feat for an Arab and African team when they reached the semifinals in 2022 in Qatar, before the adventure ended at the hands of Kylian Mbappé and his France 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 been reduced from 48 to 8, as the dream of lifting the trophy in the final scheduled for July 19 in East Rutherford draws nearer.

France has imposed itself since the start of the finals as one of the strongest contenders for the title, but the equally impressive Morocco will try to seek revenge and thus end the journey of coach Didier Deschamps, who will leave his post with Les Bleus after a 14-year stint during 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 on 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 just to do everything we can to make things go well. My focus is on the Moroccan team and on making things work in our favour.'

The France coach also downplayed widespread concerns on social media regarding the appointment of Argentine referee Facundo Tello and what that might mean for his team.

It seems that France and Argentina are on track for a potential final rematch, repeating the scenario of 2022.

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

Deschamps makes history by leading his 25th match in the finals, equalling the record, but achieving the 20th win is not guaranteed; three of France's World Cup defeats this century (excluding penalty shootouts) 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 hold the only two unbeaten streaks for an African team across five matches in a single World Cup edition.

Morocco has the potential to test Deschamps' team, thanks to a strong blend of technical skills, physical strength, and tactical intelligence under the guidance of their 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 did not get here by chance. It will be a clash between two teams that love possession, attacking, and scoring goals.'

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

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

PSV Eindhoven defender Anas Salahuddin said: 'France have a good team, and so do we. We have shown that so far in this tournament, and we are working hard to prepare for them.'

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

Spain, who have yet to concede a goal, are favourites to surpass Belgium after eliminating Portugal led by Cristiano Ronaldo in the round of 16, while their neighbours and upcoming opponents thrashed the United States 4-1 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 side, seeking to become the first to retain the title since Brazil in 1962, struggled to overcome Cape Verde in the round of 32, then repeated the scene on Tuesday in the round of 16 against Egypt, who seemed on their way to a stunning upset 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 didn't want the end to be today. We didn't 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 win over Mexico, one of the three host nations, giving the Three Lions renewed confidence in their quest for a first major title since 1966.

In England's way stands a strong Norwegian side led by striker Erling Haaland, who scored both goals in the win over Brazil in the round of 16 on Sunday.

Read also