France Predicted Lineup vs. Morocco: World Cup Quarterfinal
France continues its march toward a third World Cup title when facing a fearsome Morocco side in the first of the 2026 quarterfinals on Thursday.
Having blitzed through the group stage and eased past Sweden in the first knockout round, Les Bleus spent much of the round of 16 being physically assaulted by a fiery Paraguayan team. Fortunately, France overcame those dark arts as Kylian Mbappé's penalty secured a hard-fought win.
Didier Deschamps knows the scale and nature of the upcoming task facing his players is far greater than in previous rounds, but there is zero reason to doubt those on his roster after an exceptional tournament to date which has yielded five straight wins.
Here's the XI that Deschamps could select against Morocco at Gillette Stadium.
France Predicted Lineup vs. Morocco
Pick Your France XI!
GK: Mike Maignan-Maignan has been relatively untested for much of this summer's competition, conceding just twice and managing three clean sheets. The Milan stopper has saved 80% of the shots he's faced, which is the third-highest percentage of remaining goalkeepers.
RB: Jules Koundé-The Barcelona defender was allowed to roam high and free against Paraguay's low block, but Morocco's Bilal El Khannouss will keep him defensively honest on this occasion.
CB: Dayot Upamecano-After a terrific campaign with domestic treble winners Bayern Munich, Upamecano has sauntered through the World Cup without breaking stride.
CB: William Saliba-Morocco might be without star forward Isamel Saibari due to a hamstring complaint, which would serve as a massive boost to France's defense before a ball is even kicked. Saliba will still have to keep close tabs on replacement Soufiane Rahimi, who scored against Canada.
LB: Lucas Digne-Deschamps has gone back and forth between Digne and Theo Hernández, but it's the former who has started both knockout matches to date.
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CM: Manu Koné-There remain lingering doubts over the fitness of Aurélien Tchouaméni, meaning Koné should earn successive starts. The midfielder's engine will be crucial against the industry of teenage sensation Ayyoub Bouaddi and Roma teammate Neil Al Aynaoui.
CM: Adrien Rabiot-Rabiot has been a mainstay of the later Deschamps era and continues to be an excellent bridge between France's solid defense and star-studded offense.
RW: Ousmane Dembélé-The Ballon d'Or winner has racked up six goal involvements this summer, despite much of the attention being focused on Mbappé and Michael Olise. Facing France's attack is like a game of Whack-A-Mole ... stop one superstar and another pops up to haunt you elsewhere.
AM: Michael Olise-Olise has showcased his creative mastery this summer, supplying a tournament-high five assists to date. The Bayern star seemingly bends space and time to create gaps on the field that others can't find.
LW: Bradley Barcola-Barcola faces a duel with Paris Saint-Germain clubmate Désiré Doué for a starting berth against Morocco. No matter who starts, they will have to perform their defensive duties with distinction to thwart a tantalizing duo of Achraf Hakimi and Brahim Díaz.
ST: Kylian Mbappé-Mbappé saw Lionel Messi move one ahead of him in the Golden Boot race on Tuesday and will be acutely aware of Erling Haaland and Harry Kane's presence, too. You would be brave to bet against the Frenchman adding to his seven-goal tally against Morocco, though.
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This story was originally published July 8, 2026 at 10:00 AM.