Morocco Trains in Boston for World Cup 2026 Quarter-Final vs France

The Morocco national football team commenced their preparations in Boston for the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final against France.

On July 7, the Official Account of the Morocco National Football Team posted images of the team’s training session on X, emphasising their readiness for the upcoming knockout match. “First training session in Boston ahead of the Quarter-finals,” the team wrote, also including the Arabic equivalent.

Morocco made history at the tournament by becoming the first African nation to reach the quarter-finals in two World Cup editions after defeating co-hosts Canada 3-0 in the Round of 16.

The match was notably physical, producing the highest disciplinary record so far, with the referee issuing eight yellow cards and awarding 38 fouls.

The Atlas Lions mounted a dominant performance in the second half after resisting Canadian pressure in the first half. Azzedine Ounahi scored twice, becoming the first Moroccan player since 1998 to score a brace in a World Cup game, while Soufiane Rahimi added a late third goal to secure the win.

Players Achraf Hakimi and Brahim Diaz also set records; Hakimi registered his third World Cup assist among defenders since 1966, and Diaz became the African player with the most World Cup assists, with four.

This victory extended Morocco’s unbeaten streak to ten matches and reinforced their strong knockout record in major tournaments.

Canada’s first-ever World Cup knockout appearance ended in defeat, continuing their struggles after conceding opening goals in World Cup games.

France, the 2018 champions, secured their place in the quarter-finals by defeating Paraguay 1-0 in the Round of 16. French captain Kylian Mbappe converted a second-half penalty to decide the match.

Notably, the first half of the France-Paraguay game saw no shots on target from either team, marking just the third FIFA World Cup knockout match since 1966 to reach half-time without a single effort on target.