Morocco are looking to write a new chapter in World Cup history when they take on the French giant in a highly anticipated clash at Boston stadium, opening the quarter-final stage of the 2026 World Cup, which is being held across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The two sides are repeating the fixture that brought them together in the semi-finals of the previous edition in Qatar, when the Atlas Lions became the first Arab and African team to reach the last four at a World Cup — though that journey ended with France winning 2-0. The upcoming match represents an opportunity for Morocco to restore their honour and replicate their historic achievement.
France, meanwhile, have reached the final of the last two editions, winning one and losing the other on penalties, and will be looking to assert their standing as title favourites while continuing their pursuit of a third star.
The Atlas Lions will come up against the most expensive squad in World Cup history: the market value of the French squad stands at 1.52 billion euros, according to the Transfermarkt website.
No previous World Cup edition — not Qatar 2022 nor Russia 2018 — saw any squad break the 1.5-billion-euro barrier.
During the current tournament, France set a new record for the highest combined market value of a starting eleven in a single World Cup match, with the lineup valued at 908 million euros.
The attack is led by players such as Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola, with the combined market value of the four forwards alone exceeding 550 million euros.
Morocco's current squad market value, by contrast, does not reach one-third of France's, standing at 447.4 million euros. Achraf Hakimi leads the Atlas Lions in terms of market value at 80 million euros, followed by Ayoub El Kaabi at 50 million euros.