FIFA World Cup 2026: Morocco begin preparations for quarterfinal clash against France

Massachusetts [US], July 7 (ANI): Morocco’s national football team began preparations in Boston for their FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final clash against strong France.

The Official Account of the Morocco National Football Team shared pictures from the team’s training session on X, highlighting their preparations ahead of the highly anticipated knockout encounter.

“First training session in Boston ahead of the Quarter-finals,” the Morocco National Football Team wrote on X while sharing images of the players training.

أول حصة تدريبية في بوسطن استعدادًا لربع النهائي

First training session in Boston ahead of the Quarter-finals #DimaMaghrib 🇲🇦 #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/9jxXfDdGWu

— Équipe du Maroc (@EnMaroc) July 7, 2026

Morocco created history at the FIFA World Cup 2026 by becoming the first African nation to reach the quarter-finals in two editions of the tournament after defeating co-hosts Canada 3-0 in a highly physical Round of 16 clash. The match produced the most disciplinary action of the tournament so far, with the referee showing eight yellow cards and awarding 38 fouls.

The Atlas Lions delivered a dominant second-half performance after withstanding Canadian pressure in the opening period. Azzedine Ounahi scored twice, becoming the first Moroccan player since 1998 to net a brace in a World Cup match, while Soufiane Rahimi added a late third goal to seal the victory.

Achraf Hakimi and Brahim Diaz also entered the record books, with Hakimi registering his third World Cup assist among defenders since 1966, while Diaz became the African player with the most World Cup assists with four.

Morocco’s victory extended their unbeaten run to 10 matches and continued their impressive knockout record in major tournaments. Meanwhile, Canada’s historic first-ever World Cup knockout appearance ended in disappointment, as they continued their struggle after conceding the opening goal in World Cup matches.

The 2018 champions, France, on the other hand, defeated Paraguay 1-0 in their Round of 16 clash. French skipper Kylian Mbappe converted a second-half penalty to send France into the quarterfinals.

Interestingly, the first 45 minutes produced no shots on target from either side, making it only the third FIFA World Cup knockout match since 1966 to reach half-time without a single effort on target. (ANI)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)