Mohamed Wahbi and Didier Deschamps have unveiled the lineups for Morocco and France for the highly anticipated match this evening, which opens the quarterfinal stage of the 2026 World Cup. The game carries a revenge narrative following their famous clash in the semifinal of the 2022 edition.

The Moroccan lineup featured a notable surprise from Mohamed Wahbi, who opted to start Shamseddine Talbi in place of the injured Ismail Sbayri, despite expectations that Soufiane Rahimi would start after his impressive performance against Canada in the Round of 16, where he scored one of the three goals after coming on as a substitute for Sbayri.

In contrast, Didier Deschamps decided to give Désiré Doué a start at the expense of Bradley Barcola, rewarding him for his decisive role in the previous match, where he won the penalty from which France scored the winning goal against Uruguay, guiding Les Bleus to the quarterfinals.

The trio of Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, and Kylian Mbappé continue to lead the French attack, while Morocco relies on the duo of Brahim Díaz and Bilal El Khannous up front.

Morocco's lineup was as follows:

Goalkeeper: Yassine Bounou.

Defenders: Achraf Hakimi, Issa Diop, Anas Salah Eddine, Noussair Mazraoui.

Midfielders: Ayoub Bouaddi, Azzedine Ounahi, Naïl El Aynaoui, Shamseddine Talbi.

Forwards: Brahim Díaz, Bilal El Khannous.

France's lineup was as follows:

Goalkeeper: Mike Maignan.

Defenders: Jules Koundé, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, Lucas Digne.

Midfielders: Adrien Rabiot, Manu Koné, Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué.

Forward: Kylian Mbappé.

France reached the quarterfinals after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Uruguay, while Morocco qualified after a 3-0 win against Canada.

The match evokes memories of the 2022 World Cup semifinal, when France won and advanced to the final, while the Atlas Lions finished fourth, achieving the best Arab and African performance in World Cup history.