France are preparing to face Morocco in the opening quarter-final of World Cup 2026 on Thursday, with midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni racing to be fit after a groin injury. The Real Madrid star missed the last-16 win over Paraguay following the problem sustained in training after the round-of-32 victory against Sweden.
Team News and Injury Update
Didier Deschamps confirmed on Wednesday that Tchouameni is improving and may train on the eve of the match. “Aurelien is better, but I left early this morning. He’s the only one who needs to be seen, but he’s doing better. He might participate in the training session today. All other players are available,” the France boss said.
If Tchouameni is unable to start, Roma’s Manu Kone will continue alongside Adrien Rabiot in midfield after they partnered in the 1-0 victory over Paraguay, secured by Kylian Mbappe’s second-half penalty.
Predicted Lineup and Key Decisions
Deschamps is expected to stick with the same side that beat Paraguay, with Mike Maignan in goal and a defensive line of Jules Kounde, Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba, and Lucas Digne. In attack, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise will join Mbappe, while Bradley Barcola continues on the left wing ahead of Theo Hernandez and Desire Doue.
France failed to get Olise’s yellow card rescinded, meaning he will miss a potential semi-final if booked again. The same caution applies to Kone and Barcola, as yellow cards are not wiped until after the quarter-finals.
Match Details
The match kicks off at 9pm BST on Thursday July 9, 2026, at Boston Stadium and will be broadcast on ITV1.
