Morocco and France renew their rivalry when they meet on 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 it reached the semi-finals in Qatar in 2022, before the adventure ended at the hands of Kylian Mbappé and his French teammates, who later lost the final to Lionel Messi's Argentina on penalties.

After a month of thrilling competition that saw 280 goals scored in 96 matches, the number of teams has been reduced from 48 to 8, with the dream of winning the title approaching in the final scheduled for July 19 at East Rutherford.

France has established itself since the start of the finals as one of the top contenders for the title, but Morocco, also impressive, will seek revenge and thus end the journey of coach Didier Deschamps, who will leave his post with Les Bleus after a 14-year tenure 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 a player and a coach, said on Wednesday that he does not think much about his personal legacy, adding: 'I don't think about it 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 Moroccan national team and on making things go our way.'

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

It seems that France and Argentina are on a path to a highly anticipated final clash, repeating the 2022 scenario.

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

Deschamps enters history by leading his 25th match in the finals, equaling the record, but achieving the 20th victory 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 3 goals without conceding against Canada, one of the three host nations, from just 5 shots on target.

The Atlas Lions are behind the only two unbeaten runs by an African team over 5 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 their coach Mohamed Ouahbi.

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

From the Moroccan side, Sunderland winger Shamseddine Taleb said after Tuesday's training session: 'We feel good after recovering from the tough match against Canada, and now we focus 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, PSV Eindhoven defender Anas Salah Eddine said: 'France has a good team and so do we, as we have shown so far in this tournament, and we are working hard in preparation 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, which has not conceded a goal so far, is favored to overcome Belgium after eliminating Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in the round of 16, while its neighbors and upcoming opponents secured a resounding 4-1 victory over the United States in the same round.

In the other half of the draw, defending champion Argentina faces Switzerland in Kansas City on Saturday, having reached the quarter-finals with difficulty.

The South American team, aiming to become the first to retain the title since Brazil in 1962, struggled to overcome Cape Verde in the round of 32, then the scene repeated on Tuesday in the round of 16 against Egypt, which seemed on course for a stunning upset 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 it to end 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 an exciting 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.

Standing in England's way is 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.

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