France face Morocco in World Cup quarterfinal rematch
Opta makes France the clear favorite against Morocco, but the Atlas Lions arrive as established contenders after another deep World Cup run.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
France meet Morocco in the opening match of the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals, a rematch with a place in the last four at stake. Al Jazeera reported that Morocco enter the game seeking to answer their 2022 semifinal loss to France, while Opta’s model gives Les Bleus the stronger chance to advance.
Al Jazeera listed the match for Thursday, July 9, at 4pm, or 20:00 GMT, at Boston Stadium in the United States. The game brings together a France side described by Al Jazeera as the favorite and a Morocco team that has again shown it can compete with leading international sides.
France favored by Opta
According to Al Jazeera, the 2022 World Cup semifinal in Qatar was the first competitive match between France and Morocco. France won 2-0, with Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani scoring to end Morocco’s run.
The teams had also met five times in friendlies before this quarterfinal, Al Jazeera reported. France were unbeaten in those matches, winning three and drawing two.
Opta’s supercomputer gives France a clear edge. Al Jazeera reported that Opta ran 25,000 pre-match simulations, with France winning 61.7 percent of them.
Morocco won in 16.2 percent of the simulations, according to Opta data cited by Al Jazeera. The remaining 22.1 percent finished level after 90 minutes, which would send the quarterfinal to extra time and possibly penalties.
Morocco push beyond surprise status
Morocco reached this stage after a 3-0 win over Canada in the round of 16, according to Al Jazeera. After that match, coach Mohamed Ouahbi said Morocco’s standing in world football had changed.
“We’re no longer a surprise today, and that’s a great source of pride,” Ouahbi said, according to Al Jazeera. “I think this is only the beginning, and I hope we’ll keep producing this kind of run for many years.”
Ouahbi also said revenge was not the main theme for Morocco against France. “We want to go as far as possible and make our people proud,” he said, according to Al Jazeera.
Hakimi and Mbappe meet again
The match also sets up a personal duel between Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi and France captain Kylian Mbappe. Al Jazeera reported that the pair played together at Paris Saint-Germain and have a close friendship.
Hakimi has said relationships away from the field will not shape the quarterfinal, according to Al Jazeera. His comments followed an Instagram video by Moroccan comedian Mimo Lazraq that joked about Hakimi’s friendship with Mbappe before the rematch.
Al Jazeera reported that Lazraq teased the idea that a true friend would have helped Hakimi gain revenge for the 2022 defeat. The joke added to the attention around a matchup already carrying weight from Morocco’s breakthrough run in Qatar and France’s status as the team to beat in this tie.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.