Morocco's improbable, history-making run at the World Cup is about to get its ultimate test.
Africa’s first World Cup semifinalist is playing defending champion France and its star striker Kylian Mbappé, the leader of a new wave of soccer superstars coming out of an era dominated by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
“I was asked if we can win the World Cup and I said, ‘Why not? We can dream, it doesn’t cost you anything to have dreams,’” said Walid Regragui, Morocco's French-born coach. "European countries are used to winning the World Cup and we have played top sides, we have not had an easy run. Anyone playing us is going to be afraid of us now.
“We recovered well. We have good doctors and every day we get good news. No one is ruled out and no one is for certain,” Regragui told reporters on Tuesday. “We’ll use the best team possible." The key to winning the game, he said, will be Morocco’s “team spirit" and the support of the crowd at Al Bayt Stadium, where French President Emmanuel Macron is set to be in attendance along with tens of thousands of green-and-red-clad Morocco fans. It will feel like a home game for Morocco's players, which might level things up even more.
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