This summer began with the promise of 104 matches. The biggest FIFA World Cup in history, expanded to 48 teams and 3 host countries. Now, the tournament moves to the United States. All the fixtures in Mexico and Canada have been completed. Only 8 matches remain. 8 teams.France had defeated Morocco in the 2022 World Cup semis (AFP)It’s time for the quarterfinals.World No. 1 France and World No. 6 Morocco will line up tonight at the Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, in a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semifinal. That was the furthest any African team had ever gone in the competition, before France ended that dream run and came out 2-0 winners, and it is a record Morocco would seek to match (and extend) this time around. France, meanwhile, will be eyeing a third consecutive World Cup final and taking back their 2018 crown.Tournament formFrance have been the most dominant team at this World Cup, fully living up to their status as favourites and title contenders and being one of only two teams this summer to have won all of their games (alongside Argentina). They coasted through a potentially tricky group stage, beating Senegal 3-1, Iraq 3-0, and Norway 4-1, to top Group I, before then routing Sweden 3-0 in the Round of 32. Their toughest test yet came against Paraguay in the Round of 16, which they won 1-0.Morocco opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against heavyweights Brazil, before beating Scotland 1-0 and Haiti 4-2 to finish second in Group C unbeaten. In the Round of 32, they had a dramatic victory over the Netherlands, trailing 1-0 until a 91st-minute equaliser took the game to extra time, and then winning 3-2 in the penalty shootout. They then sealed a comfortable 3-0 win over hosts Canada in the Round of 16.ALSO READ: FIFA referees' chief breaks silence on Egypt-Argentina VAR storm after Letexier complaint: 'Nobody can influence us'What to expect from both teamsExpect France to line up in their usual 4-2-3-1 shape, with Kylian Mbappe leading the line, Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele on the flanks, and Michael Olise as the Number 10 finding their runs in behind the opposition defence. The double pivot selection is likely to feature Adrien Rabiot and Manu Kone, with Aurelien Tchouameni battling an adductor injury. In defence, Jules Kounde and Lucas Digne (who has replaced Theo Hernández on the left for both KO matches) will line up on either side of centre-backs William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano, ahead of Mike Maignan in goal.Les Bleus are devastating in attack and solid in defence. Across their five matches in this World Cup, they have scored the joint-most goals (14, all coming from their fearsome frontline) and conceded the third-fewest (2). They have been free-flowing and ruthless, scoring for fun and comfortably controlling the tempo of their matches. In their only tough assignment, against Paraguay, they were made to work very hard for the win, with their 76% possession coming up against an ultra-defensive low block in a physically bruising and fiery contest. That approach could provide a formula for a far superior Morocco side to take inspiration from.Morocco are a side transformed from their 2022 run. They rank joint-fifth for goals scored, third for number of passes played, and fifth for turnovers of possession (winning the ball back). This is a young, energetic team, confident in both attack and defence. Seven of the starters from their knockout wins over Spain and Portugal in Qatar are not involved in North America 2026, and they have a new head coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, who stepped up from the youth teams to take over the reins from predecessor Walid Regragui. In Qatar, they played with a 4-3-3 in all their matches until changing to a 5-2-3 for the semifinal against France. That tactical shift hurt Morocco, who eventually lost 2-0, and Regragui has mentioned his regrets over that choice. Expect Ouahbi not to make the same mistake.The Atlas Lions will likely take to the field in their usual 4-2-3-1. With top scorer Ismael Saibari suffering a thigh injury against Canada, expect Soufiane Rahimi to replace him up front. The speedy Bilal El Khannouss will start on the left wing, with the creative Brahim Diaz pulling the strings on the right wing and dovetailing with attacking midfielder Azzedine Ounahi. Neil El Aynaoui and Ayyoub Bouaddi will make up the double pivot in front of centre-backs Issa Diop and Redouane Halhal and penalty shootout expert Yassine Bounou between the sticks. Full-backs Noussair Mazraoui and Captain Achraf Hakimi will have the unenviable task of locking up the French attack.Players to watch out forMichael Olise: French captain Kylian Mbappé has stolen the headlines with his seven goals this World Cup, but their dangerman has surely been Michael Olise. The Bayern Munich winger has the most assists this World Cup, setting up five goals for his teammates (including three for Mbappé). He also ranks third for defensive linebreaks attempted (21) and first for throughballs completed (11). He is yet to score a goal at this World Cup, but he ranks joint-sixth for shots attempted (14). With his silky dribbling and bursts of acceleration, he is a nightmare to stop when cutting inside onto his preferred left foot. Stifling France’s attack is a tall order, but stifling Olise is as good a place to start as any.Achraf Hakimi: Morocco are strongest on their right flank. Partly, of course, due to Brahim Díaz (who has 4 assists this tournament, behind only Olise). But undoubtedly, mostly due to their captain, Achraf Hakimi, arguably the best right-back in the world today. Hakimi leads his side in passes attempted (385), shots taken (13), chances created (13) and expected goals (2.1). And he’s delivered the goods — one goal, two assists, an unbeaten run this tournament with his team. A common sight is Hakimi’s bombarding runs down the right flank, filling the space vacated by Brahim when he drifts infield to combine with the midfielders. Per 90 minutes, the Paris Saint-Germain defender averages 13 runs in behind the opposition defence. He’s also put in 33 crosses across five matches this summer, the third-most across all teams. He is a creator, defender, willing runner, goalscorer and leader, all-in-one, the true heart and engine of his team.PredictionThis will be an end-to-end attacking game, as can be expected from a contest between two of the top six teams in the world. Both sides will look to retain the ball and control the tempo, but are equally lethal when pressing to win the ball back and launching counter-attacks. But France, with their superior star quality and experience, will likely be just too strong for Morocco.