Key numbers as France and Morocco square off again on World Cup stage

After a bruising encounter against Paraguay in their last match, Les Bleus will hope for a less physical passage into the next round against either Spain or Belgium, in what would be their third consecutive World Cup semi-final.

Should they do so, they'd become only the third nation after Germany and Brazil to achieve such a feat.

Deschamps equals a record

It will also extend Didier Deschamps' reign for at least one more game before he hands over the managerial responsibility to former teammate Zinedine Zidane.

This game will represent Deschamps' 25th game in charge of the French national team, which draws him level with Helmut Schon (25 between 1966 and 1978), and if Les Bleus are victorious, his next match will earn him the accolade of having managed the most-ever games at World Cup finals.

After the win over Paraguay, he also now holds the record for the most knockout-stage victories at the tournament.

Morocco have shown they're certainly no pushovers, however, and they could go unbeaten for the third time in the opening five games of a tournament, and equal their showings in 2022 and 2026 should they do so. No other African team have come close to managing such a feat.

Mbappe, Olise and Dembele on fire

They will have their work cut out in terms of stopping a rampant French attack, for whom Kylian Mbappe has already scored seven goals. The captain and striker will go ahead of Lionel Messi for the Golden Boot if he grabs two more in this game.

It isn't just the goals that have marked out another spectacular tournament for Mbappe either, given that only Michael Olise (nine) has made more than his colleague's eight line-breaking passes. Not to mention the 12 chances Mbappe has created and the two assists he has to his name.

Olise's contributions at the tournament have also been hugely impressive.

Not since Zico in 1978 has a player, on his debut in the FIFA showpiece, completed 10+ dribbles (11), made 10+ through balls (11), and created 10+ chances in open play (10).

With Ousmane Dembele also shining, and potentially on course for his second successive Ballon d'Or, it's little wonder that the French have won seven straight games, and 11 of their last 12, drawing the other.

Hakimi key to Moroccan aspirations

The way in which Morocco dumped co-hosts Canada out of the competition is likely to give Deschamps some cause for concern, and as both Cape Verde and Egypt showed against Argentina, there's every chance the underdog can make life difficult if France are not fully concentrated.

Mbappe's former Paris Saint-Germain teammate, Achraf Hakimi, for example, is likely to prove a thorn in the French side if his marauding runs down the Moroccan right side aren't tracked.

He's already created 15 chances in this edition of the tournament, which are the most on record by an African defender since 1966, and taking into account the 2022 tournament, he has 21 to his name, more than any other defender from any continent in the competition.

In six previous meetings, including at the semi-final stage of the 2022 World Cup, however, France have never lost.

African teams have been France's Achilles heel

Four wins and two draws mean that the weight of history is very much against Mohamed Ouahbi's side, but what better way for them to really announce themselves at this tournament than by ending the French dream for another four years.

Indeed, African teams have been something of an Achilles' heel for Deschamps and Co.

They've been responsible for three of the six defeats Les Bleus have suffered this century, which is more than the two games lost against European countries in the same time span, and the zero defeats against those teams from South America. 

Morocco's reliance on Brahim Diaz will be obvious, given the injury to Ismael Saibari and the likelihood that he'll play no part in this match.

Diaz has been directly involved in more goals than any other Moroccan player (6G, 4A) since the 2025 AFCON tournament, and needs to take the chance to shine if he's afforded it.

Chadi Riad could also be missing for the Atlas Lions, whilst France will give late fitness tests to William Saliba and Aurelien Tchouameni before Deschamps names his starting XI.

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