France vs Morocco: A History of World Cup Encounters and Key Matches

As the 2026 World Cup approaches, the matchup between France and Morocco stands out as one to watch. France, a nation with two World Cup titles, carries a legacy filled with talent, led recently by Kylian Mbappe, striving for a third trophy. Meanwhile, Morocco has carved its place in history by reaching the semifinals in 2022, the first African team to do so.

Now, Morocco finds itself in the quarterfinals again, facing the familiar challenge of taking on France to push further in the tournament.

Previous Battles Between France and Morocco

The two teams have faced each other six times internationally, but just once at the World Cup level. Only four of these meetings were competitive matches; the rest were friendlies. Their first encounter came during the 1988 Tournoi de France, where Les Bleus won 2-1. They've also clashed in the King Hassan II Cup on multiple occasions.

Their recent World Cup meeting in 2022 added more weight to their rivalry, making future encounters highly anticipated.

Head-to-Head Record

Overall, France leads the series with four wins compared to Morocco's single victory, plus one draw. Ignoring friendly games leaves France ahead 3-1 in competitive matches.

In World Cup history, the teams met once before — in the 2022 semifinals, with France winning 2-0.

Five Most Recent Meetings

Their most recent match took place during the 2022 World Cup semifinal in Qatar, where Morocco had made historic progress as the first African nation in that stage. At Al Bayt Stadium, France secured a 2-0 win. Theo Hernandez scored early, in the fifth minute, followed by Randal Kolo Muani late in the game. France then advanced to the final but lost to Argentina on penalties, while Morocco finished fourth after falling to Croatia in the third-place playoff.