Two teams. One spot.
France and Morocco have been living the dream so far in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, since neither team has been defeated through the first five games. That will change on Thursday, July 9, when one team’s journey comes to an end. It’s a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semifinal, when the French dispatched the Cinderella story Moroccans 2-0 in Qatar.
Kylian Mbappé wasn’t on the score sheet that day, but the Frenchman is on a quest to make up for that when the two sides meet at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Morocco’s stingy defense will try to stop that, attempting to frustrate France to secure a spot in the semifinal in this World Cup. It won’t be easy without Ismael Saibari, who was forced out of the round of 16 match against Canada with a hamstring injury.
Can France keep rolling or does Morocco exact its revenge on U.S. soil? As kickoff quickly approaches, we asked Microsoft Copilot to help make some predictions for what is set to happen over the course of at least 90 minutes.
Here’s how the chatbot sees the quarterfinal match:
AI predictions for France vs. Morocco World Cup game today
France 2, Morocco 1
AI’s take: “Kylian Mbappé is in outstanding form and has been France’s biggest difference-maker in the tournament. France has scored more goals than any team remaining and owns one of the tournament’s best goal differentials. Morocco is disciplined, dangerous on the counterattack, and has already made another deep World Cup run, but France’s attacking depth is superior. The teams met in the 2022 World Cup semifinal, and France won 2–0.”
Our take: It’s hard to argue with that logic from Copilot. The chatbot clearly understands that France is the best team remaining in the tournament and has been virtually unbeatable for quite some time. Mbappe is on a tear with seven goals in the World Cup already. The task against Morocco’s defense might be the greatest test yet, but France is far too skilled and possesses enough depth across the board to knock off a Morocco squad without Ismael Saibari.
AI predicts goal scorers for France vs. Morocco
Does Copilot have the script? The chatbot didn’t just make a score prediction. It also provided goal scorers and the minute when each would occur.
According to Copilot, the scoring will come fast and furious after a scoreless first half.
Here is what it envisions:
France scorers
- Kylian Mbappé (58′)
- Ousmane Dembélé (76′)
Morocco scorer
- Azzedine Ounahi (68′)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: World Cup predictions: AI predicts France vs. Morocco quarterfinal today
About the Author
