France and Morocco’s intense rivalry gets the World Cup quarterfinals started with a bang
By Ben Church, CNN
(CNN) — Note: This story first appeared in The Beautiful Game by CNN Sports, our daily newsletter on all things World Cup. To subscribe, click here.
I don’t know about you, but it was a little confusing having no soccer to watch on television yesterday. For almost a month that’s been my go-to setting and it felt strange not to have my daily fix of live World Cup action.
But fear not, we are back underway again today with the first quarterfinal between France and Morocco. This could be the tie of the round with the rivalry hitting deep for both nations.
We’ll discuss all you need to know about the match today, plus all the other news including Justin Bieber, the Golden Boot race and the World Cup referees fighting back.
The Main Thing: Why the Morocco and France rivalry runs deep
As we’ve reported in the past, Morocco may be the underdog in this matchup, but it’s more than capable of beating France later today. It would still be a shock if it managed to do so, but certainly not the biggest of the tournament, which is credit to how far the Atlas Lions have come in recent years.
Yes, the French team is the World Cup favorite brimming with a host of world beaters and hoping to reach its third straight final. But, in my opinion, the Moroccans will be Les Bleus’ toughest test of the World Cup so far.
Morocco also has a score to settle after France ended its fairytale run at the last World Cup in Qatar, with the European side winning 2-0 in the semifinals.
But gone are the days where Morocco is just happy to be reaching the latter stages of major tournaments. This is a team that genuinely believes it can go all the way this summer and won’t be content on just making up the numbers.
“I don’t like this feeling where we can say what we’ve done up until now is great and rest is bonus,” Morocco boss Mohamed Ouahbi said before today’s match. “No, the only bonus is to win the World Cup.”
The Atlas Lions have showed their grit in the knockout rounds so far, beating the Netherlands on penalties and dispatching Canada 3-0 in the Round of 16 despite not playing at their best. A win against France would require the Moroccans to play at a high level throughout the entire 90 (or more) minutes, something they’ve struggled with at times this tournament.
Meanwhile, France hasn’t had to worry too much this summer. It breezed through the group stage, thrashed Sweden in the Round of 32 and proved it can also win ugly in its 1-0 victory against Paraguay in the last 16.
Manager Didier Deschamps is not resting on his laurels, though, and is fully aware of how dangerous Morocco can be on the counterattack.
“We met them four years ago in the semifinal. They also played in the African final. It is a really great, excellent team with top-notch individuals. They’re not here to play. They’re there to win,” Deschamps said. “We have to be ready.”
But there is more context around this tie, one that transcends the soccer field. Due to France’s colonial past in North Africa, there is a huge community of Moroccans living in Europe today. It’s why the majority of Morocco’s team consists of players who have been born outside the nation they now represent.
In fact, a total of six French-born players could line up for Morocco today, all opting to represent the Atlas Lions out of pride for their roots. But there is also another narrative at play here.
Cynics might suggest that some of the players born in other countries opted to play for Morocco because they weren’t good enough to get into the France or Spain national teams, for example. Often, this is an unfounded claim, but it’s a subplot that will only stoke the rivalry when the two teams clash in Foxborough later today.
Quote of the Day
These are the words of FIFA Chief Refereeing Officer Pierluigi Collina amid a host of accusations around the officiating at this year’s World Cup.
Yesterday, we saw Egypt argue its match against Argentina was rigged in order to help Lionel Messi and his teammates progress into the quarterfinal. That came after a string of questionable decisions and inconsistencies around the use of the video assistant referee (VAR). Donald Trump also weighed in on the topic of referees earlier this week, calling the official who showed a red card to US striker Folarin Balogun “suspect.”
It’s led to Collina, who is perhaps the most famous referee in soccer history, defending his team.
“Of course, constructive discussion about decisions will always be part of football, but unfounded allegations have no place in our sport,” he added.
“Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials. When this happens, it may provoke reactions that lead to threats against them and their families. This is not right.”
He’s got a point.
WATCH: Mamdani says Egypt was “robbed” in World Cup
Speaking of those baseless accusations, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has also now weighed in, saying Egypt “got robbed” in that Round of 16 loss to Argentina.
Not sure Collina would be very happy with this – and he’s not someone you want to upset.
Justin Bieber joins World Cup halftime show
Love it or hate it, the World Cup halftime show just keeps getting bigger.
Justin Bieber has now been added to the lineup, which already consisted of Madonna, BTS and Shakira. The Canadian popstar, who is known to like soccer, said the tournament “brings the world together in a way nothing else can.”
In a statement I’m 100% sure he definitely wrote, Bieber added: “I’m grateful to be part of this halftime show, and even more grateful knowing it’s already helping expand access to education for children around the world.”
Bieber and the gang will also be joined by Burna Boy, the artist who features next to Shakira on the song “Dai Dai,” which has been played non-stop during this summer’s competition.
Don’t forget that Coldplay’s Chris Martin is the man putting all this together, with the help of characters from Sesame Street and The Muppets (yes, really).
More importantly, FIFA says the performance will be 11 minutes long, which puts to bed any concerns about there being an extended break during the final but raises questions about how they’re going to fit everything in.
The proceeds from the show will aid FIFA’s Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative raising $100 million to grant children access to education and soccer.
You can read more about my thoughts on a halftime show here.
Quiz yourself on the World Cup!
It’s been almost a month of action at the world’s greatest sporting event and you’ve been dutifully following The Beautiful Game along on this journey, so you should know a bit more about the World Cup than the average person.
Still, you have a chance to learn more interesting facts about this competition, which began way back in 1930. Take CNN’s Ultimate World Cup Quiz and you will know fascinating tidbits like who performed an iconic corner flag dance celebration in 1990 or who the first ever Golden Ball (the tournament’s best player) was.
The Final Whistle: How the Golden Boot race works
We have just eight matches remaining at this year’s World Cup – four quarterfinals, two semifinals, the third-place match (yes, this is a thing that exists) and then the final on July 19.
And while the remaining eight nations will have their hearts set on lifting the trophy in glamorous New Jersey, there is another subplot forming: the Golden Boot race.
You might remember from a previous edition of the newsletter that the Golden Boot is awarded to the player who has scored the most goals in the tournament. And this year, a host of superstars remain in the hunt.
Currently leading the way is, of course, Messi. The Argentine has eight goals despite missing two penalties this summer. He is also the all-time World Cup top scorer as he continues to re-write the history of the sport.
A goal behind him sit France’s Kylian Mbappé and Norway’s Erling Haaland, both of whom have been electric during their respective campaigns so far.
And just one behind them is England’s Harry Kane on six goals. The Bayern Munich striker also became his nation’s top scorer at a World Cup this summer, overtaking Gary Lineker’s 10 goals earlier in the competition.
All four men are still in the tournament so this leaderboard will undoubtedly change a lot, with a host of other names all sitting on four goals.
Fun fact: If players are level on the same goal total, the number of assists they tallied is used to separate them. If players are still level after that, the total minutes played will be considered, with the player who has played the fewest minutes ranking first.
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