France head coach Didier Deschamps has spoken highly of Morocco ahead of Thursday’s World Cup quarterfinal, with L’Équipe reporting his comments following Les Bleus’ 1-0 victory over Paraguay.
For Deschamps, who is overseeing his final major tournament as France manager, the Atlas Lions have firmly established themselves among the world’s elite.
“Morocco is one of the best teams. They showed that four years ago in Doha. But there’s a time for everything. We have five days, and we need to enjoy this first. We have 48 hours to recover properly—there are a few injury concerns as well—and then, on the third day, we’ll turn our full attention to them. Morocco continues to prove that it is a very good team. You don’t reach the quarterfinals of a World Cup by chance," he said.
The two sides last met in the semifinals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where France claimed a 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani. Despite the defeat, the Atlas Lions made history by becoming the first African nation ever to reach a World Cup semifinal.
This time, however, Morocco arrives with a new generation that has continued to grow since that historic campaign while also lifting the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil in January. The Atlas Lions now appear well equipped to challenge one of the favorites to win the tournament.
The quarterfinal will be played on Thursday, July 9, at 9 p.m. (Moroccan time) at Gillette Stadium in Boston.
