BY KUNLE SOLAJA, BOSTON

The FIFA World Cup has always been a stage for greatness.

In 2026, it has become a theatre of records.

As the quarter-finals approach, three of the game’s biggest stars are producing numbers never before seen at football’s greatest tournament.

Lionel Messi leads the way.

The Argentine captain has extended his World Cup scoring record to 21 goals, while also becoming the first player to score in nine consecutive World Cup matches.

Not far behind is France’s Kylian Mbappé, whose strike against Paraguay was his 19th World Cup goal and France’s 150th in tournament history.

At just 27 years old, the Real Madrid superstar stands on the verge of becoming the youngest player ever to make 20 World Cup appearances.

Then there is Norway’s Erling Haaland.

His seven goals have powered the Scandinavian side into their first-ever World Cup quarter-final and helped transform Norway from outsiders into genuine contenders.

Remarkably, this is the first World Cup in history in which three players have scored seven or more goals in the same tournament.

The competition has also produced other extraordinary feats.

Belgium midfielder Youri Tielemans has covered 61.8 kilometres, more than any other player.

Mbappé has recorded the fastest sprint at 37.6 kilometres per hour.

Senegal’s Pape Gueye unleashed the fastest goal-scoring strike measured at 131.9 kilometres per hour.

Meanwhile, Spain’s defensive excellence has become one of the stories of the tournament.

Goalkeeper Unai Simón has now gone 609 minutes without conceding a World Cup goal, extending the longest such streak in tournament history.

With four former champions still standing- Argentina, England, France and Spain- and emerging challengers such as Morocco, Norway and Switzerland writing new chapters of their own, the records may not stop falling anytime soon.

The World Cup’s biggest numbers, it seems, are still to come.

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The first quarter-final of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will rekindle memories of Qatar 2022 when France and Morocco lock horns once again, this time at Boston Stadium, with a place in the semi-finals at stake.

Four years ago, France ended Morocco’s dream run with a 2-0 victory in the semi-finals, courtesy of goals from Théo Hernández and Randal Kolo Muani. Now, the Atlas Lions return seeking revenge and hoping to make even more history as Africa’s last remaining representatives in the tournament.

France arrive in Boston as one of the form teams of the competition. Didier Deschamps’ side have won all four matches so far, defeating Senegal (3-1), Iraq (3-0) and Norway (4-1) in the group stage before dispatching Sweden 3-0 in the Round of 32 and edging Paraguay 1-0 in the Round of 16.

The decisive strike against Paraguay came from Kylian Mbappé, whose penalty was not only his 19th World Cup goal but also France’s 150th in tournament history. The Real Madrid forward has now scored 10 goals in his last six World Cup matches and stands on the brink of another landmark. Should he feature against Morocco, Mbappé will become the youngest player ever to reach 20 FIFA World Cup appearances, surpassing Poland’s Władysław Żmuda.

The French also boast an impressive knockout pedigree. The 1998 and 2018 world champions have progressed from six of their eight World Cup quarter-final appearances and have won 18 of their last 21 knockout matches at the global finals.

History is firmly on Les Bleus’ side. France are unbeaten in six previous meetings with Morocco, winning four and drawing two. Their only World Cup encounter remains the 2-0 triumph in Qatar, and six players who started that match remain in the French squad, including goalscorer Hernández.

Morocco, however, have shown that they are no longer content to play supporting roles on football’s biggest stage.

The Atlas Lions reached the quarter-finals after defeating co-hosts Canada 3-0 in Houston, with Azzedine Ounahi scoring twice and Soufiane Rahimi adding the third. The result made Morocco the first African nation to score three goals in a World Cup knockout match.

That victory followed a dramatic penalty shoot-out success against the Netherlands in the Round of 32. Earlier, Morocco accumulated seven points in Group C, finishing behind Brazil only on goal difference while comfortably outpacing Scotland and Haiti.

Already pioneers for African football, Morocco are now the first African country to reach the World Cup quarter-finals on two occasions. Their previous quarter-final appearance came in Qatar 2022, when they stunned Portugal 1-0 before eventually falling to France in the semi-finals.

The North Africans have also been among the tournament’s most potent attacking sides. Their ten goals in North America make them only the second African team to reach double figures at a single World Cup, following Senegal’s achievement at the same tournament.

Morocco’s resilience has been equally impressive. They have lost only two of their last 13 World Cup matches and only two of their last nine encounters against European opposition, underlining their ability to compete with the game’s traditional powers.

An intriguing subplot surrounds captain Achraf Hakimi, whose club ties connect both camps. The Paris Saint-Germain star has won 13 trophies since joining the French giants in 2021 and will come up against five of his PSG teammates in the French squad, including Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola and Lucas Hernández.

Several Moroccan players are also familiar figures in French football, with Hakimi, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Amine Sbaï, Samir El Mourabet and Gessime Yassine all currently playing in Ligue 1.

With France chasing a third World Cup title and Morocco determined to avenge their 2022 heartbreak while carrying Africa’s hopes, Boston is set to stage one of the most compelling quarter-final clashes of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA, BOSTON

Morocco will once again carry the hopes of an entire continent when the Atlas Lions face France in a highly anticipated FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final clash, seeking to extend a remarkable journey that has already rewritten African football history.

Having become the first African nation to reach two FIFA World Cup quarter-finals, Morocco now stand just three victories away from achieving what no team from the continent has ever accomplished – lifting football’s most coveted trophy.

The encounter also presents an opportunity for the North Africans to gain revenge for their painful 2-0 defeat to France in the semi-finals of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, a match that ended their historic run but earned them global admiration as the first African and Arab nation to reach the last four of the tournament.

This time, however, Mohamed Ouahbi’s men arrive with even greater experience, confidence and belief.

Morocco have emerged as Africa’s lone survivors in the competition after dispatching Canada 3-0 in the Round of 16. Their campaign has been built on tactical discipline, defensive organisation and a growing attacking threat that has yielded ten goals so far – making them only the second African nation to score double figures in a single World Cup edition.

The achievement places the Atlas Lions alongside Senegal, who also reached the ten-goal mark at the 2026 tournament before their elimination.

While France enter the contest as one of the favourites for the title, Morocco have shown repeatedly that they are no longer intimidated by Europe’s traditional powers.

Indeed, the Atlas Lions have lost only two of their last nine World Cup matches against European opposition, recording three victories and four draws during that impressive run.

That record includes memorable victories over Belgium, Spain and Portugal during their historic Qatar 2022 campaign, results that transformed perceptions of African football on the global stage.

France, however, remain a formidable obstacle.

Les Bleus have won 18 of their last 21 World Cup knockout matches, underlining the consistency that has seen them remain among the world’s elite over the past decade.

The French also boast a perfect record against African opposition in World Cup knockout football. Their previous two encounters ended in identical 2-0 victories, first against Nigeria in the Round of 16 at Brazil 2014 and later against Morocco in the Qatar 2022 semi-final.

Yet statistics alone may not tell the full story of a Moroccan side that continues to break barriers.

Driven by a generation of talented players and backed by millions of supporters across Africa and the Arab world, Morocco have become a symbol of what sustained investment, sound planning and unwavering belief can achieve.

The Atlas Lions have already secured their place in history as the first African nation to reach two World Cup quarter-finals. Defeating France would elevate them into even more exclusive territory and bring them one step closer to a second consecutive World Cup semi-final appearance.

For Morocco, the quarter-final is about far more than avenging a defeat suffered four years ago. It is another chance to challenge football’s established order and keep alive the dream of delivering Africa’s first-ever World Cup title.

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