Riyadh, 24 Muharram 1448 AH, corresponding to July 9, 2026 AD, SPA — With the anticipated match between Morocco and France in the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup, hosted by North America, football fans around the world recall, through the tournament's history, the most prominent repeated matchups between the same two teams in consecutive editions, and whether the outcome brought revenge for the loser or confirmed the winner's superiority. This match, which kicks off in a few hours, brings to mind the encounter between the two teams (Morocco and France) in the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup, which the French won 2-0, making this a phenomenon that has occurred more than once in World Cup history: the same two teams meeting again in consecutive editions, carrying memories, unsettled accounts, and a desire to write a new chapter of competition. However, history confirms that the second match does not always go in the same direction. In some cases, the team that lost the first match succeeds in avenging its defeat, while in other instances, the winner consolidates its superiority and proves that its previous victory was no accident. In the 1974 edition in West Germany, Johan Cruyff's total football Netherlands thrashed Argentina 4-0 in the second round, but lost the final to the host. Nevertheless, they returned strongly in the 1978 edition in Argentina, reaching the final for the second consecutive time, where they faced the hosts. With the score tied 1-1, the Netherlands was centimeters away from snatching victory when Rob Rensenbrink's shot hit the post in the last minute of regular time. In extra time, Mario Kempes and Daniel Bertoni scored two goals, giving Argentina a 3-1 win and their first World Cup title. The 1986 final in Mexico is one of the most famous matches in World Cup history, as Diego Maradona led Argentina to their second world title by beating West Germany 3-2. Argentina led by two goals, but the Germans came back to equalize, only for Maradona's magical pass to Jorge Burruchaga to decide the final in Argentina's favor. Four years later, the same two teams met again in the 1990 final in Italy, the first repeat final in consecutive editions. This time the match was completely different: Germany gave a more balanced performance and capitalized on a penalty kick scored by Andreas Brehme five minutes from time to win 1-0, avenging the 1986 loss and claiming their third world title. Meanwhile, the 1998 World Cup round of 16 saw one of the most thrilling matches, as the two teams drew 2-2 before Argentina advanced on penalties, but the highlight was the red card received by David Beckham after a clash with Diego Simeone, making Beckham the most criticized player in England. Four years later, the two teams met again in the group stage of the 2002 World Cup. In the 44th minute, England earned a penalty, which Beckham himself converted to score the only goal, giving the English a perfect revenge. This victory later contributed to Argentina's failure to advance from the group stage. In the 2010 final in South Africa, Andrés Iniesta scored a historic goal in the 116th minute to give Spain their first world title, while the Netherlands left the final with fresh disappointment. But fate gave the Dutch a quick chance to respond: in the opening match of the two teams in the 2014 edition in Brazil, the rematch took place, and all eyes were on whether the Netherlands could overcome the memories of the final. Despite Spain taking the lead through Xabi Alonso, the Dutch response was thunderous: Robin van Persie scored his iconic header, and Arjen Robben added two goals, ending the match 5-1 in favor of the Netherlands, allowing the Dutch to somewhat alleviate the disappointment of 2010. Also in the 2010 edition in South Africa, in the quarterfinal match, Germany put on a terrifying attacking display, crushing Diego Maradona's Argentina 4-0 in one of the worst defeats for the Argentine national team in knockout stages. Four years later, at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the tournament gave Argentina a new chance for revenge, this time in the final. Despite Argentine hopes of settling the score led by Lionel Messi, the German machine had the last word at the Maracanã: in the 113th minute, Mario Götze scored a historic goal that gave Germany the World Cup title and cemented their superiority over Argentina for the second consecutive time. Meanwhile, the Moroccan national team experienced a successful revenge scenario against Portugal: in Russia 2018, Morocco played a brilliant match against Portugal but lost to an early goal by Cristiano Ronaldo, despite dominating for long periods and missing many chances. Four years later, the historic revenge opportunity came in the quarterfinals of the 2022 edition in Qatar. There, the Moroccan team responded with great confidence after eliminating Spain, and Youssef En-Nesyri managed to score the only goal of the match, before Walid Regragui's men held firm against Portuguese pressure until the final whistle, achieving a historic feat by reaching the semifinals for the first time in their history. // End // 22:23 T M 0206