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France and Morocco open the World Cup quarterfinals on Thursday in a high-profile rematch of their 2022 semifinal, as eight teams remain in the race for football's biggest prize.
The expanded 2026 World Cup, described as the biggest and most complex edition ever staged, has now moved into its final stretch after a month of intense matches across North America. France, Argentina, England, Norway, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland and Morocco are still standing, with several of the game's biggest names also locked in the Golden Boot race.
France head into the quarterfinals as one of the strongest attacking sides of the tournament, having scored 14 goals in five matches. Captain Kylian Mbappe has led that charge with seven goals, keeping him close to Argentina's Lionel Messi, who tops the scoring chart with eight.
Les Bleus now face Morocco at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, outside Boston. The match brings back memories of the 2022 World Cup semifinal in Qatar, where France beat Morocco 2-0 before later losing the final to Argentina.
Morocco has also looked confident on its way to the last eight. The Atlas Lions, a nickname for Morocco's national team, moved through the group stage before defeating the Netherlands in the last 32 and Canada in the Round of 16.
Under coach Mohamed Ouahbi, who guided Morocco to the under-20 World Cup title last year, the team has combined technical quality, physical strength and tactical discipline. Its latest test comes against a French side that has so far looked sharp in attack and settled under pressure.
The winner of France-Morocco will face either Spain or Belgium in the semifinals.
Spain reached the quarterfinals after beating Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal 1-0 in the last 16. Although Spain has not matched France's attacking numbers, it remains well placed for another deep run.
Belgium, meanwhile, has built momentum after an uncertain start. After two draws in the group stage, it beat New Zealand 5-1, came from 2-0 down to defeat Senegal 3-2, and then produced its strongest display so far by beating the United States 4-1 in Seattle.
On the other side of the draw, defending champions Argentina will face Switzerland in Kansas City on Saturday. Argentina is trying to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cups, but its route to the quarterfinals has been far from smooth.
The team needed extra time to beat Cape Verde 3-2 in the last 32, before Messi helped it pull off a dramatic 3-2 comeback against Egypt in Atlanta. Argentina had been 2-0 down with 11 minutes of normal time remaining, but recovered to stay alive.
"We wanted to stay in the tournament," Messi said after the match. "We didn't want today to be the end, we didn't want to go home."
The winner of Argentina-Switzerland will face either Norway or England in the semifinals. England advanced after a dramatic 3-2 win over Mexico at the Azteca Stadium, a result that strengthened belief around the team.
Jude Bellingham said the victory should give England confidence that it can compete with anyone, adding: "I'm convinced of it and I hope that a win like this can give them that same conviction that they're top players and we shouldn't fear anyone."
Norway will bring its own major threat through Erling Haaland, who scored twice in the last-16 win over Brazil. Coach Stale Solbakken said England would be a strong opponent and expected the quarterfinal to be even and tight.
With Messi on eight goals, Mbappe and Haaland on seven, and Harry Kane on six, the Golden Boot race adds another layer to a quarterfinal line-up filled with rematches, comeback stories and heavyweight clashes.
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