This Thursday, the French national team will play its 2026 World Cup quarter-final against Morocco at 10:00 PM CET at Gillette Stadium in Bosto). Ahead of the match, Le Parisien and L’Équipe have attempted to predict the lineups that French head coach Didier Deschamps and his Moroccan counterpart Mohamed Ouahbi will field. The match involves six Paris Saint-Germain players: five for France—Lucas Hernandez, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola, and Ousmane Dembélé—and one for Morocco, Achraf Hakimi.
France (4-2-3-1):
Mbappé
Doué – Olise – Dembélé
Rabiot – Koné
Digne – Saliba – Upamecano – Koundé
Maignan.
Morocco (4-2-3-1):
Rahimi
El Khannouss – Ounahi – Diaz
El Aynaoui – Bouaddi
Mazraoui – Halhal or Riad – Diop – Hakimi
Bounou
These lineups are plausible, though nothing is certain yet. Certain selection choices appear to have solidified for both sides during this World Cup. Changes remain possible, particularly for Les Bleus, given their deep squad. Notably, there is still uncertainty regarding the left-wing position, a toss-up between Barcola and Doué; while Barcola was the favorite yesterday morning, Doué is now being tipped for the spot.
A tactical surprise from either France or Morocco cannot be ruled out, though it would be unexpected. Any adjustments would likely concern the team’s specific tactical setup—always a crucial factor. On the Moroccan side, there are doubts regarding the availability of Ismael Saibari, who left the pitch injured during the win over Canada, as well as the potential return of Chadi Riad in defense. We will have to wait for the official lineup announcements—expected about an hour and a half before kickoff—to know for sure.
