Bouaddi, France’s familiar foe
It is one of the paradoxes of this match: Ayyoub Bouaddi, Morocco’s « Einstein » appears to belong to both teams. With 27 caps for Les Bleus, he has represented France more often than Morocco, for whom he has made eight appearances.
Last March, he even captained France’s U21 side during the Euro 2028 qualifiers. “He’s a product of the French youth system through and through; he played for all the youth teams: U16, U17, U18, U20, and the Espoirs… He’s someone we know well” notes France’s assistant coach, Guy Stéphan.
The familiarity works both ways. His years in France’s youth setup allowed Bouaddi to play and train alongside many of the 26 players Didier Deschamps selected for this World Cup. That includes Désiré Doué and Rayan Cherki, with whom he featured for the France U21 team in friendlies against Italy (2-2) and Germany (2-2) in November 2024.
He also played alongside Warren Zaïr-Emery in October 2025 against Estonia (6-1) and the Faroe Islands (6-0), scoring once and providing an assist in the latter match. Few players know the inner workings of this French squad as well as he does. “This is a significant loss for ourfederation” France technical director Hubert Fournier recently told The Athletic.
That disappointment could become even more painful for Les Bleus on Thursday if Bouaddi reproduces the outstanding performance he delivered against Brazil earlier in the tournament.
Mohamed Ouahbi: Looking to do one step further
Under the 2022 World Cup format, Mohamed Ouahbi would already have reached the semifinals, matching Walid Regragui’s achievement. But history does not make allowances. A quarterfinal exit will never carry the same weight as a semifinal appearance, regardless of how many matches it took to get there.
By defeating Spain and then Portugal, Regragui earned a reputation that has defined his legacy ever since. Ouahbi has already guided Morocco past the Netherlands, but to match his predecessor’s feat, he must now overcome another tournament heavyweight. Canada, despite being one of the host nations, does not fit that description. His own legacy may already be at stake this Thursday: will he extend his predecessor’s run, or will he be the one to finally bring down Les Bleus?
Diaz, seeking redemption
Flashback to March 22, 2024. Brahim Diaz dazzles on his debut for Morocco, and the Kingdom begins to dream.
Can this rising star finally carry the Atlas Lions beyond the barrier they have been trying to overcome since that semifinal in Doha? On January 19, 2026, charging toward Edouard Mendy after a brilliant solo run during the Africa Cup of Nations, Diaz seems poised to provide the answer, only for his attempted Panenka to land harmlessly in the Senegal goalkeeper’s hands. We all know what followed.
Since then, the Madrid-born playmaker’s tears have made headlines around the world. Reports of alleged tensions within the Moroccan dressing room dominated sports coverage, while many supporters struggled to forgive the missed penalty. Yet Diaz has earned back his place. A starter in every match so far, he is once again central to Morocco’s World Cup campaign and, barring any surprises, is expected to start against France.
If there is one opportunity to win back the hearts of Moroccan fans once and for all, this is it. Should the No. 10 inspire the Atlas Lions to eliminate Les Bleus, his story would become the stuff of legend: from Africa Cup of Nations outcast to World Cup hero. But first, he has to score, and Morocco has to win.
Saibari, the stricker who needs to prove himself
One of Mohamed Ouahbi’s boldest tactical innovations has been to deploy Ismael Saibari as his central striker, leaving Ayoub El Kaabi out of the starting lineup in the World Cup warm-up matches against Madagascar and Norway.
Comfortable in midfield, on the wing, or in attack for PSV Eindhoven, the 25-year-old has fully justified his coach’s decision, scoring three goals in five matches, including after coming on for just 21 minutes against Canada. He now appears to have established himself as Morocco’s first-choice striker for the tournament, and Europe has taken notice.
The World Cup has already transformed his career. On Wednesday, July 1, Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich moved swiftly to secure his signature, completing a €55 million transfer.
But when he looks back on this tournament, Saibari is unlikely to be satisfied if his goals came only during the group stage. Not for a player who says he wants to “win it all”. He will need every ounce of his quality against a French defense that has conceded just two goals throughout the entire tournament.
His availability, however, remains uncertain after a right thigh injury forced him off early during Morocco’s round-of-16 victory over Canada.
Bounou, one final masterpiece?
“For some, this might be the last one” Yassine Bounou told FIFA in early June. The message leaves little room for doubt. So exceptional is he at saving penalties that it is easy to forget his age. but “Bono” is 35.
A return for the 2030 World Cup on home soil cannot be ruled out, Manuel Neuer remained at the highest level well into his late 30s, so why not Bounou? Yet while the German continues to compete deep into the UEFA Champions League with Bayern Munich, Morocco’s goalkeeper has chosen the less demandin Saudi Pro League.
The door to a European return is not closed, especially after another string of outstanding performances on the biggest stage. Egyptian goalkeeping legend Essam El-Hadary now considers him “the best Arab goalkeeper in history”. Even if this proves to be his final World Cup, Bounou has already secured his place among the greats.
In his third World Cup, he sealed Morocco’s dramatic penalty shootout victory by denying Summerville from the spot, further cementing his place in Moroccan, Arab and African football history. Now, can he go even further, leading Morocco to its first World Cup star?
The Hakimi–Mbappé bromance
For several Atlas Lions, the match against France is both a rematch and a personal reunion. For captain Achraf Hakimi; a two-time UEFA Champions League winner with Paris Saint-Germain (2024-2025 and 2025-2026); it means facing several of his club teammates: Ousmane Dembélé, Lucas Hernández, Warren Zaïr-Emery and Bradley Barcola, whom he is likely to mark unless Désiré Doué starts instead.
But the most eagerly anticipated reunion is with France captain Kylian Mbappé. The pair have never hidden their close friendship on or off the pitch. Fans have seen their choreographed celebrations in Paris Saint-Germain colors, their padel matches, gaming sessions and podcast appearances together.
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Rumors even suggest Hakimi could join Real Madrid next season to reunite with his close friend. Will that friendship soften his approach once the match begins? Hakimi has already answered that question on Instagram. Responding to an Instagram video by comedian Mimo Lazrak about their relationship, Morocco’s No. 2 commented simply: “Not friends on the field”. That leaves little room for doubt.
Off the pitch, however, Hakimi also faces another major development. He is due to stand trial before the Hauts-de-Seine Departmental Criminal Court, where he is accused of rape by a woman who has filed a civil suit.
Morocco’s new center-back pairing
At the 2022 World Cup, Morocco built its historic run on defensive solidity, conceding just one goal on the way to the semifinals. Four years later, neither member of that central defensive partnership remains. Romain Saïss has retired from international football, while the injured Nayef Aguerd was replaced in Morocco’s 26-man World Cup squad by Marwane Saâdane.
As a result, Issa Diop and Chadi Riad are making their World Cup debuts as Morocco’s first-choice central defenders. With Morocco adopting a more attack-minded style than in 2022, the pair have conceded five goals so far.
If both are fit to start against France, they now face the ultimate test, and the performance that could define their legacy, against one of the tournament’s most formidable attacking lineups. Yet Mohamed Ouahbi expects more from them than defensive solidity alone.
“I knew he (Issa Diop, ed.) was going to score an important goal for Morocco ”, the coach said after the victory over the Netherlands, adding that he had even “dreamed” it would happen. Diop and Riad are not simply being asked to recreate the success of the previous generation. They have the opportunity to forge a new identity of their own. After all, as Kylian Mbappé put it: “Soccer has changed.”
Written in French by Marin Daniel Thézard, edited in English by Amina Kadiri
