00:12Welcome to Beyond the Game, the ball stays pure. France and Morocco are set to open the quarter-final stage
00:17of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in what promises to be one of the tournament's most compelling mashups.
00:21It's a rematch of the memorable 2022 World Cup Summer final where France ended Morocco's history run but this time
00:28the Atlas Lions arrived determined to write a different ending.
00:32France has looked every bit like a title contender cruising through the knockout stage, victories over Sweden and Paraguay behind
00:39the brilliance of Kylian Mpappé and one of the tournament's most dangerous attacks.
00:43Morocco, meanwhile, continues to prove that its success is no fluke. The African side eliminated the Netherlands' own penalties before
00:51a commanding 3-0 win over Canada to reach the last eight, showcasing a disciplined defence and deadly counter-attacks.
00:57With a place in the semi-finals at stake, France will rely on its experience while Morocco hopes to make
01:02history once again and become the first African nation to reach two World Cup semi-finals.
01:07The winner will advance to face either Spain or Belgium in the final four.
01:17And France and Morocco supporters trade chance and predictions in two separate locations in downtown Mustaine ahead of the World
01:24Cup Black Buster quarter-final.
01:29Personally, I see France winning 3-1 with a brace from Mbappé and a little goal from Dembélé.
01:35And for Morocco, I can definitely see Hakimi scoring, but I don't see them winning. I hope France wins.
01:43Not at all, no. But it's a good team, so it won't be easy for Les Blues. They won't score
01:49more than, I think, two goals.
01:51So the Moroccans will defend well. I hope they play well and that they know how to defend themselves.
01:59As for a prediction, well, it's to win. However it happens, a draw and then penalties, 1-0. The main
02:07thing is to win, God willing. And we're going to do it. They scare everyone.
02:12But when you've got a defense that's that solid, players who fight for the shirt, for their team, and they're
02:18already really strong, then we're feeling a bit confident.
02:21Like Hakimi knows Mbappé. He's his mate. He won last time. This time, it's Hakimi's turn to win. That's why
02:28we're confident this time.
02:37Well, let's go over the players to watch in this game. Kylian Mbappé remains one of the biggest stars of
02:42the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
02:44The French forward has scored seven goals and provided two assists in five matches, placing him just one goal behind
02:49Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race.
02:52Mbappé has also completed 156 successful passes and 15 dribbles, proving his influence goes far beyond finishing.
02:59His decisive penalty against Paraguay secured France's place in the quarterfinals, where Le Blues will now take on Morocco in
03:05one of the tournament's most anticipated matches.
03:14And few defenders have influenced the World Cup, like Hakraf Hakimi.
03:18Morocco's captain has been outstanding at both ends of the field, contributing two goals and two assists while completing nearly
03:24400 successful passes.
03:26His speed, energy and attacking runs have become one of Morocco's biggest weapons during the historic campaign.
03:32Now, with a place in the semifinals on the line against France, Hakimi has another opportunity to lead his nation
03:38to one of the greatest achievements in his football history.
03:47And two European heavyweights collide in the second quarterfinal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup as Spain takes on Belgium
03:53for a coveted place in the semifinals.
03:56Spain has been one of the most convincing teams of the tournament, producing dominant victories over Austria and Portugal while
04:02combining possession, creativity and defensive solidity.
04:05Belgium arrives with momentum of its own after edging Senegal in a thriller before delivering an emphatic performance against the
04:12United States.
04:13The Red Devils will once again look to Kevin De Bruyne to dictate tempo, while Spain's young stars and fluid
04:19attack have made them one of the favorites to lift the trophy.
04:22Both nations know that a single mistake could decide the contest, making this a tactical battle between two of Europe's
04:28elite.
04:29The winner will move one step closer to the World Cup final, where either France or Morocco have weights in
04:35the semifinals.
04:43Spain's Danny Olmo said that even if Lamin Llamat does not score or assist, he brings a lot to the
04:48pitch to help the team.
04:53Lamin, even if he doesn't score, even if he doesn't assist, gives us so much with his dribbling or simply
04:58with his presence as well,
05:00because in the end, when he gets the ball, the opposing team doesn't just send one player, they send two
05:05or three,
05:06and that creates space in other areas of the pitch.
05:09There's no doubt about it. Lamin has always done this. He's been scoring, he's been assisting, he's done it throughout
05:16his career, his short career.
05:19We're a team where everyone attacks and everyone defends. The coach always says the first to defend are the forwards,
05:26the number nine in this case, and then the others follow. Without a doubt, the back line has also done
05:32an outstanding job,
05:33the whole defensive line, each and every one who has played, and the entire team.
05:38They're a very complete national team, they've already shown that. They have one of the best goalkeepers in the world,
05:44are currently the very best, and they're a tough side. If I'm not mistaken, they came from behind in this
05:50last,
05:50or the previous, knockout tie, and they're a team with difference, making players that we really have to take into
05:56account as well.
06:01And for their part, Belgian goalkeeper Thibault Courtois and forward Diego Moreira say that they had good chances before Spain,
06:08even though the Averian team arrives as a clear favourite.
06:13Well, obviously, it's a bit similar to what happened in 2018, I would say, with the quarter-final against Brazil.
06:19Also, I would say they were more favoured than us, although maybe at that time, I think, maybe individually,
06:26we had maybe more quality in the team, but I feel we are a great team altogether now.
06:30We are fighting, and I think especially the game against Senegal showed the strength of our team
06:38to keep on believing till the end, and that's also a strength on a World Cup.
06:41I think the most important is to win your games and not only to play well football.
06:45It's a nice thing to also play well, but the most important is to win and to continue, that's what
06:49we did.
06:50And Spain is a great team, I think they are one of the favourites to win it.
06:55So, obviously, we start as an underdog against them, but as a football, everything is possible,
07:01and I believe that we can win, with all respect, but obviously they are the favourites.
07:07No, we know that Lamin is a great, great player, one of the biggest for now,
07:12so I don't think that we have to work in a special way to stop him.
07:17But, of course, like I said, we have a lot of quality and we will play with our quality.
07:22Like I said, I think we know that Spain is a good team with the ball.
07:26They like to play, so has us, so we have to be ready to counterpress, to be aggressive,
07:33and to show them that we have also good quality.
07:40Well, this is all for this edition of Beyond the Game, the ball stays pure.
07:43We're going to be back with more information as we get closer to the Kickstart
07:46in the first quarterfinal game. We go back to you, Lotte.
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