# World Cup quarter-finals: predictions and France v Morocco buildup

Chris Sutton and a Guardian panel offered predictions for the World Cup quarter-finals, including the France vs Morocco match. Meanwhile, referee chief Pierluigi Collina defended officiating standards. The forecasts and buildup frame the high-stakes knockout round.

**Importance:** 2/5

## Sources

### Sports
- [BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c15y1j32jxko?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss) — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 22:34:48 GMT
- [The Guardian Sport](https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2026/jul/09/world-cup-2026-france-v-morocco-quarter-final-news-live) — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 11:07:18 GMT
- [The Guardian Sport](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/09/world-cup-2026-quarter-final-predictions-france-spain-argentina-england-messi-mbappe-haaland) — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 07:15:54 GMT
- [BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/videos/crm0ry2nemmo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss) — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 22:49:40 GMT
- [Fox News Sports](https://www.foxnews.com/sports/kylian-mbappe-ousmane-dembele-fire-france-world-cup-semifinals-win-over-morocco) — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 18:46:52 -0400
- [The Guardian Sport](https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2026/jul/10/world-cup-2026-france-power-on-quansah-ban-fallout-spain-v-belgium-buildup-live) — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 13:19:40 GMT
- [The Guardian Sport](https://www.theguardian.com/football/video/2026/jul/10/france-maul-meek-morocco-to-reach-semi-finals-world-cup-daily-video) — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 08:10:41 GMT
- [The Guardian Sport](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jul/10/world-cup-last-eight-wimbledon-finals-and-the-tour-de-france-follow-with-us) — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 14:23:49 GMT
- [The Guardian Sport](https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2026/jul/10/spain-v-belgium-world-cup-2026-quarter-final-live) — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 18:57:09 GMT

### World
- [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/video/2026/7/10/video-world-cup-2026-highlights?traffic_source=rss) — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 09:00:41 +0000