The Rematch: France v Morocco, and a Wound Reopened from Qatar
Available in USThere are quarter-finals, and then there is unfinished business. Tonight in Foxborough, France v Morocco (9:00pm IST, Gillette Stadium) reopens the Qatar 2022 semi-final — the night France won 2-0 and ended the greatest run an African side had ever made at a World Cup. Three and a half years on, Morocco are back, and they are no longer the plucky underdog. For the Irish punter this is the pick of the round, so here is the team news, the prices for the euro books, and where the value sits.
Why this one carries an edge
Deschamps’ France have won all six matches on the way here, but the machine has been spluttering — a laboured 1-0 over Paraguay in the last 16, settled by a Mbappé penalty, hardly the swagger of a champion-elect. Morocco, by contrast, are unbeaten: three wins and three draws, past the Netherlands on penalties and a thumping 3-0 of the co-hosts Canada in the last round. Under Mohamed Ouahbi, who replaced Walid Regragui in March, they finished second in Group C and have grown into the tournament.
France paid Morocco the ultimate respect this week. "They have top individuals. They are not here to play. They are here to win," said Deschamps of the Moroccans. Defender William Saliba was blunter still: "Morocco is a very strong team. They have defeated big teams since the start of the World Cup, and most importantly, they haven’t lost any match."
Team news: the Tchouaméni question
The French headache is Aurélien Tchouaméni, a major doubt with an adductor/thigh tear picked up before the Paraguay tie. He returned to training on Wednesday and Deschamps offered a "positive update," but ESPN and Yahoo both lean towards him missing out. If he sits, Manu Koné is expected to partner Adrien Rabiot in midfield. Morocco have their own casualties: Ismaël Saibari is out with a hamstring injury, and Chadi Riad is a doubt with a knee problem, though he is expected to be available.
There is a sub-plot too: FIFA have appointed an Argentine refereeing team for the tie, which raised eyebrows online given Argentina’s own path through the draw. Deschamps declined to make a drama of it.
The odds and our pick
The market makes France short 4/7 favourites, the draw 3/1, and Morocco a value-looking 5/1 to 6/1 (as of the night of 8 July 2026, converted to fractional). Those are essentially the opening lines — the price on France has not moved since it was framed, a sign the books are comfortable.
Here is the case for caution on the favourite. France have kept three clean sheets and concede barely half a goal a match, but they have also been stingy at the other end — one goal against Paraguay, and a midfield possibly without Tchouaméni against a Moroccan side that grinds games down. Morocco went the distance on penalties against the Netherlands and will happily make this ugly.
The Irish viewing guide
A 9:00pm IST kick-off is about as friendly as it gets for the couch in Ireland — dinner done, feet up, and a genuine heavyweight to chew on. Boomerang Bet.com and BetiBet are among the euro-facing books pricing the tie for Irish punters, with prices in euro. If you fancy the upset, Morocco at 5/1-plus in a two-way “to qualify” market is where the braver money will go, given how they dispatched Canada. Our fuller quarter-finals guide has all four ties, and the France team page and Morocco team page track both squads.
Odds shown are converted to fractional format for Irish bookmakers and were accurate as of 8 July 2026; always check the live price before betting. 18+, gamble responsibly. Please play within your limits — support is available at GambleAware.ie.
