Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — France opens the World Cup's quarterfinal round Thursday against Morocco, with kickoff set for 4 p.m. Eastern time, as Les Bleus look to continue an unbeaten run that has established them as the tournament's most dominant team through six matches.

France enters the quarterfinal having won all six of its games this tournament while scoring 17 goals along the way, the standout performance of this year's World Cup. Didier Deschamps' side swept through the group stage with wins over Senegal, Iraq and Norway, then routed Sweden 3-0 in the Round of 32 before edging Paraguay 1-0 in the Round of 16 on a Kylian Mbappe penalty. That result extended France's winning streak to six consecutive matches heading into Thursday's contest, giving the squad significant momentum as it pursues a place in the semifinals.

Morocco has similarly impressed throughout the tournament, becoming the first African nation to reach back-to-back World Cup quarterfinals, following the team's memorable run to the semifinals in 2022. The Atlas Lions advanced to this stage with a commanding 3-0 win over co-host Canada in the Round of 32. Morocco does enter Thursday's match with an injury concern, however, as star striker Ismael Saibari is uncertain to play due to a hamstring issue that has been monitored throughout the team's preparation for the quarterfinal.

According to odds from FanDuel Sportsbook, France is a heavy favorite on the 90-minute moneyline at -180, meaning a $180 bet would return $100 in profit, while Morocco is priced at +550 and a draw sits at +280. Looking at the broader outcome of the match, including extra time and penalties if necessary, France is priced at -420 to advance to the semifinals, with Morocco at +310. The over/under for total goals scored in the match is set at 2.5.

SportsLine's Martin Green, who has built a strong track record handicapping this year's tournament, has published his picks for the matchup ahead of kickoff. Green enters Thursday's match on an 18-7 run on his World Cup picks this year, a stretch that has returned a profit of $908 for those following his selections, according to figures cited by SportsLine. He has also posted profitable results across other soccer competitions this year, including a plus-$211.25 return on Champions League picks and a plus-$100 return on Bundesliga selections, building his reputation as one of the more closely followed soccer handicappers heading into the World Cup's knockout stage.

Green's analysis of Thursday's matchup points toward a high-scoring affair between the two sides. He is leaning toward the over on the 2.5 total goals line, priced at -102 with FanDuel. His reasoning centers on the attacking output both teams have shown throughout the tournament: France has scored at least three goals in all five of its previous matches at this World Cup, averaging 2.8 goals per game, while Morocco, despite recording only two clean sheets in five matches, has scored 10 total goals of its own, including a three-goal outing against Canada in the Round of 32. "Both teams have the quality to get on the scoresheet, and this quarterfinal has the makings of a high-scoring affair," Green told SportsLine.

Beyond the over/under selection, Green has identified what he describes as a critical factor shaping the matchup, along with a pair of additional best bets for the contest, available to those following his full analysis through SportsLine.

Thursday's match represents the first of four quarterfinal contests scheduled across the tournament's knockout stage. The winner of France vs. Morocco will advance to face the winner of Friday's quarterfinal between Spain and Belgium, a matchup set for Los Angeles Stadium. Spain reached this stage with a dramatic 1-0 win over Portugal that marked the end of Cristiano Ronaldo's storied World Cup career, while Belgium advanced after routing co-host United States 4-1 in the Round of 16.

France's tournament has been built around the continued excellence of Mbappe, who currently sits tied for the tournament's Golden Boot lead with seven goals, level with Argentina's Lionel Messi and Norway's Erling Haaland. Mbappe's penalty conversion against Paraguay in the Round of 16 proved decisive in a tightly contested match, and his continued scoring form is expected to be central to France's attacking approach against a Morocco defense that has shown both resilience and occasional vulnerability throughout the tournament.

For Morocco, the potential absence of Saibari would represent a significant blow to the team's attacking options heading into one of the biggest matches in the program's history. Saibari scored in three consecutive group-stage matches earlier in the tournament, establishing himself as one of Morocco's most important attacking contributors before the hamstring issue emerged. Coach Walid Regragui's team will need to find alternative sources of scoring threat if Saibari is ultimately unable to feature, particularly against a France side that has conceded sparingly throughout the competition.

Fans looking to watch Thursday's match can stream the contest through Fubo, which offers a free trial for new subscribers, among other broadcast options carrying the tournament in the United States.

With France entering as significant favorites both on the 90-minute moneyline and to advance overall, Thursday's quarterfinal represents a considerable step up in competition for a Morocco side that has nonetheless proven capable of producing standout performances against elite opposition throughout this tournament and the previous World Cup in 2022. Whether Morocco can replicate that giant-killing capability against the tournament's most in-form team will go a long way toward determining which side advances to face the winner of Friday's Spain-Belgium quarterfinal in the tournament's semifinal round.

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