"FIFA" relives the memories of Morocco and France.

The International Football Federation highlighted the most significant historical encounters between the Moroccan and French national teams ahead of their anticipated meeting in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup in Boston, confirming that three previous matches contributed to changing the course of both teams and left a notable mark in their histories.

The report noted that tomorrow's match on Thursday will be the seventh in the history of the two teams, and only the second in the World Cup finals, after they previously met in the semi-finals of the "Qatar World Cup 2022," a match that was decided in favor of the French team with a score of two goals to none.

"FIFA" first reviewed the semi-final of the Under-20 World Cup in Chile in 2025, when the Moroccan team, led by coach Mohamed Wahbi, succeeded in eliminating France in a penalty shootout (5-4) after the match ended in a draw (1-1). The international federation considered that victory a significant turning point, as the "Atlas Cubs" continued their path towards winning their first global title in the youth category, before Wahbi later took over the coaching of the senior national team.

The report also revisited the semi-final of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which it described as the most important match in the history of Moroccan football at that time, after the "Atlas Lions" reached the semi-finals following the elimination of Spain and Portugal. Despite the strong performance by the national team, the French team managed to secure the match with two goals scored by Theo Hernandez and Randall Kolo Muani, before losing the final to Argentina, while Morocco finished the tournament in fourth place after losing the placement match against Croatia.

The document did not overlook the friendly match that brought the two teams together in Casablanca on May 29, 1998, in preparation for the "France World Cup," where the regular time ended in a draw (2-2), before the Moroccan team clinched the match in a penalty shootout (6-5), in a game that saw the brilliance of Salah Eddine Bissir, who scored both goals for the "Atlas Lions." "FIFA" clarified that this remains Morocco's only victory over France at the level of the senior national teams, even if it came through penalties.

The international federation concluded its report by emphasizing that the Moroccan team enters the quarter-final match of the "2026 World Cup" with the ambition of seeking redemption after losing the semi-final in Qatar, benefiting from the outstanding levels it has shown in the current tournament, while the French team looks to continue its path towards a third world title.