France starts their last rampage for a third World Cup medal on Thursday, with Morocco on the defensive in one of the largest quarter-final contests in the tournament’s history.
After a month of football, the World Cup has now been whittled down to eight teams.
France has been one of the best teams so far with 14 goals in five games. Captain Kylian Mbappe has been in the ranks of the top scorers and is one of the top players for the Golden Boot.
The Thursday game will be a replay of the 2022 World Cup semi-final between France and Portugal which France won 2-0.
Read more: Portugal knocked out of FIFA World Cup as Spain won 1-0
Morocco has also impressed. The African team had a strong group stage as well as defeating the Netherlands and Canada in the knockout stage.
Morocco is well organised and confident under coach Mohamed Ouahbi. The winner will take on Spain or Belgium in the Semi-final.
Spain defeated Portugal 1-0 to enter the quarter-finals, while Belgium have developed along the way.
Belgium struggled to find form initially but had a couple of fine victories against Senegal and the United States.
On the other side of the draw, defending champions Argentina will play Switzerland on Saturday.
Argentina had a tough battle with Cape Verde and then rallied and pulled it out with a 3-2 victory thanks to Lionel Messi.
Norway will play England in yet another quarter-final. England beat Mexico 3-2 in an exciting match and Norway beat Brazil with two goals from Erling Haaland.
England midfielder Jude Bellingham stated that the victory has boosted the confidence of the team that they can go for the title.
Also read: Quarter-final schedule confirmed for FIFA World Cup 2026
