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Rabat – Morocco and France will meet again in the FIFA World Cup, four years after their memorable semi-final in Qatar. The quarter-final clash at the 2026 tournament has brought back discussions about the controversial refereeing decisions that overshadowed their meeting in 2022.
France won the 2022 semi-final 2-0 to reach the final. However, many Moroccan fans, former players, and pundits believed that Mexican referee Cesar Ramos wrongly ignored two penalty appeals. Later, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation lodged an official complaint with FIFA about the refereeing.
One of the most debated moments came in the 27th minute. Sofiane Boufal went down inside the French penalty area after a challenge from Theo Hernandez. Instead of awarding a penalty, the referee called a foul against Boufal and showed him a yellow card. The incident was not reviewed by VAR.
Former England defender Rio Ferdinand was among the analysts who believed Morocco should have been awarded a penalty, saying Boufal had been fouled rather than committing the foul.
Another controversial moment happened just before halftime. Morocco appealed for a penalty after Aurélien Tchouaméni appeared to hold back Selim Amallah inside the box. Play continued, and VAR did not intervene.
Former Egyptian international referee Gamal El Ghandour later said both incidents should have resulted in penalties for Morocco during his analysis on beIN SPORTS.
Despite those memories, Morocco’s current head coach, Mohamed Ouahbi, has stressed that his team is not focused on revenge. Instead, the Atlas Lions are concentrating on reaching another World Cup semi-final.
Morocco enters the match with greater experience and confidence than in 2022. The team secured its place in the quarter-finals after a convincing 3-0 victory over Canada. France, meanwhile, remains one of the tournament’s strongest teams and is aiming for another deep World Cup run.
For Morocco, the match is about more than a place in the semi-finals. It is also an opportunity to write a new chapter against the team that ended one of the country’s greatest World Cup journeys.
