Coming into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, France were always tipped as the team to beat.

France never doubted they would go through despite Kylian Mbappe missing a penalty and having wasted several chances in the first half in their World Cup quarter-final clash against Morocco, coach Didier Deschamps said on Thursday.

A disappointed Morocco said they had hoped to progress past the World Cup quarterfinals, but had to accept they lost to a better team as France eliminated them 2-0 in Thursday's tie.

Kylian Mbappe recovered from having a first-half penalty saved to score a magnificent opener that set France on their way to a 2-0 win over Morocco in their World Cup quarterfinal showdown today.

A chance for revenge, compelling man-to-man duels, and a battle between attacking fluency and tactical composure -- all are set to unfold at Boston Stadium when tournament favourites France take on a Moroccan side that have steadily established themselves as one of world football's genuine powerhouses.

Morocco will not be wasting time on premature praise for their World Cup run ahead of their quarter-final against France, with any stock-taking to be done at the end of the competition, coach Mohamed Ouahbi said on Thursday.

Watch today's episode of Fever Pitch to find out more

France captain Kylian Mbappe said his side were happy to do whatever it takes to advance in the World Cup after they battled through a bad-tempered last-16 tie with Paraguay to win 1-0 on Saturday.

Eugenie Le Sommer scored twice as France eased to a 4-0 win over Morocco at the Women's World Cup on Tuesday and set up a quarter-final with co-hosts Australia.