Morocco vs France: A Rematch That Carries More Than a Trophy
Qatar, December 2022. Theo Hernandez in the fifth minute, Randal Kolo Muani late on, and Morocco's run to becoming the first African and Arab nation to reach a World Cup semi-final ended 2-0. Today at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, the two sides meet again, and for Morocco this is no ordinary quarter-final.
The history nobody's pretending isn't there
France ruled Morocco as a colonial power from 1912 to 1956. That history sits underneath every build-up to this fixture, and it isn't buried politely. "A win by Morocco would not erase the legacy of French colonialism, but it will at least settle a little score in the area of grievances," Mohamed Brahimi, a humanities professor at Worcester State University, told the Boston Globe (bostonglobe.com).
A squad with one foot in each country
The team itself carries that connection. Breakout midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi was, until recently, captain of France's own under-21 side. Captain Achraf Hakimi anchors the Champions League winners, Paris Saint-Germain, in Ligue 1 colors most of the year. Morocco is not walking into this as an outsider looking in. It is walking in from the inside, against the country a chunk of its own squad still plays for week to week.
What the record book says
On the pitch, the numbers favor France. Six previous meetings, four French wins, two draws, no Morocco win in the fixture's history, according to Al Jazeera's pre-match breakdown (aljazeera.com). Kylian Mbappé leads the tournament's Golden Boot race with seven goals and two assists. But Morocco arrive unbeaten in 34 matches and as reigning Africa Cup of Nations champions, ranked sixth in the world by FIFA, no longer the feel-good underdog they were in Qatar.
The team news that could decide it
Morocco forward Ismael Saibari is out with a hamstring injury, likely replaced by Soufiane Rahimi. France's Aurelien Tchouameni is a doubt with an adductor problem, and three France players, Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola and Manu Koné, are one yellow card away from a suspension, per Al Jazeera.
Kickoff is 9:00 PM WAT (4:00 PM ET / 20:00 GMT). The winner meets Spain or Belgium in Dallas on July 14. For Morocco, whatever happens on the scoreline, the diaspora on both sides of this fixture will be watching for more than a result.
