France’s Kylian Mbappe waves during the warm up before the Quarter-final match between France and Morocco at the Boston Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts, U.S. on July 9, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
Imagn Images via Reuters
France will start with attacking midfielder Desire Doue as coach Didier Deschamps opted to leave Bradley Barcola on the bench, in a tactical change for the 2018 world champions in their World Cup quarter-final against Morocco on Thursday (July 9, 2026).
Also read | France vs Morocco World Cup quarterfinal: African side looks to exact revenge
In a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semi-final, apart from Barcola, the France starting 11 is unchanged from their 1-0 win over Paraguay in the round of 16, with Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele spearheading the attack, backed by Michael Olise.
Morocco are without key forward Ismael Saibari, who was injured in their last match.
Coach Mohamed Ouahbi brings in defender Anass Salah Eddine and midfielder Chemsdine Talbi, with Brahim Diaz playing as a lone forward.
The winners meet Spain or Belgium in the last four.
(Inputs from Reuters)
