We are down to the final eight in the 2026 World Cup. There are the regulars, like Argentina, France and Spain, and there are some fresh faces with Norway and Switzerland. ascascsac
France is the only team to win all five of its matches without needing extra time and Kylian Mbappé has been on a heater. He's only one goal shy of Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race heading into Thursday's tilt with Morocco. Les Bleus will be looking to reach their third straight semifinal and become only the third team to advance to the final four three tournaments in a row.
In order to break down France, the Atlas Lions will need their stars to be at their best. Morocco is the first African nation to advance to the final eight in back-to-back World Cups and certainly aren't expecting to be sent home at this stage.
Who will move on to next week's World Cup semifinals?
World Cup knockout bracket
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CLICK TO ENLARGE: World Cup bracket heading into the quarterfinals
Quarterfinals schedule
Thursday, July 9, 4 p.m. ET (Fox): Morocco vs. France (Boston)
Friday, July 10, 3 p.m. ET (Fox): Belgium vs. Spain (Los Angeles)
Saturday, July 11, 5 p.m. ET (Fox): Norway vs. England (Miami)
Saturday, July 11, 9 p.m. ET (Fox): Argentina vs. Switzerland (Kansas City)
Live19 updates
- 32 mins ago
- Sean Leahy
France vs. Morocco starting XIs
- France (4-2-3-1): Mike Maignan; Jules Koundé, Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba, Lucas Digne; Manu Koné, Adrien Rabiot; Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, Désiré Doué; Kylian Mbappe
- Morocco (4-2-3-1): Yassine Bounou; Achraf Hakimi, Issa Diop, Noussair Mazraoui, Anass Salah-Eddine; Neil El Aynaoui, Ayyoub Bouaddi; Brahim Díaz, Azzedine Ounahi, Chemsdine Talbi; Bilal El Khannous
Le XI pour ce 1/4 de finale 💪
🔜 🇫🇷🇲🇦 Coup d’envoi à 22h00 sur M6 et beIN SPORTS 1 📺#FRAMAR l #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/KxbdDGToiE
— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) July 9, 2026
🚨 التشكيلة الرسمية لـ منتخبنا الوطني أمام فرنسا
