The trip highlights how Paris and Rabat are turning a diplomatic rapprochement into a broader strategic partnership.
![The French prime minister's first official foreign trip highlights how Paris and Rabat are translating a diplomatic rapprochement into deeper cooperation on security, defence and investment [Photo by Marc Piasecki/Getty Images]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-2278672333-1784118281.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
![El Youbi, born in 1992, is widely known in Morocco and across North Africa for his politically-conscious rap songs that rose to fame during the early 2010s. [File: Mehdi El Youbi support committee]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/photoehdi1-1784059429.jpeg?resize=554%2C513&quality=80)
Reporting from Paris, Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler captures the electric atmosphere after France beat Morocco.
France beat Morocco 2-0 in quarterfinals at FIFA World Cup 2026 and will meet Spain or Belgium next.
Title favourites France face African champions Morocco, as football’s 2026 World Cup enters the last-eight phase.
Do fans still trust referees and VAR at the World Cup?
Ismael Saibari will miss the match against France in Boston due to a hamstring injury sustained last week.
Morocco has long dreamed of a World Cup title. Now, the trophy is finally within reach – can they seize the moment?
Key talking points as Kylian Mbappe leads France into a rematch after Les Bleus beat Morocco in the 2022 World Cup.
Police arrest 10 suspects, seizing bladed weapons, military-style clothes and bomb‑making instructions.
Egypt and Morocco fans celebrated their World Cup success by singing ‘My Blood is Palestinian’ at a Dallas fan zone.
