00:10Welcome to Beyond the Game, the ball stays pure. France and Morocco are set to open the quarter-final stage
00:15of the
00:152026 FIFA World Cup in what promises to be one of the tournament's most compelling match-ups.
00:20It's a rematch of the memorable 2022 World Cup semi-final where France ended Morocco's historic run,
00:26but this time the Atlas Lions arrived determined to write a different ending.
00:30France has looked every bit like a title contender cruising through the knockout stage with victories over Sweden and Paraguay
00:36behind the brilliance of Kylian Mbappe and one of the tournament's most dangerous attacks.
00:41Morocco, meanwhile, continues to prove that its success is no fluke.
00:44The African side eliminated the Netherlands on penalties before a commanding 3-0 win over Canada to reach the last
00:50eight,
00:51showcasing a disciplined defence and deadly counter-attacks.
00:54With a place in the semi-finals at stake, France will rely on its experience while Morocco hopes to make
00:59history once again
01:00and become the first African nation to reach two World Cup semi-finals.
01:04The winner will advance to face either Spain or Belgium in the Final Four.
01:15Let's go over key players in these match-ups.
01:17Kylian Mbappe remains one of the biggest stars of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
01:21The French forward has scored seven goals and provided two assists in five matches,
01:26placing him just one goal behind Lionel Messi in the golden boot rates.
01:29Mbappe has also completed 156 successful passes and 15 dribbles, proving his influence goes far beyond finishing.
01:37His decisive penalty against Paraguay secured France's place in the quarter-finals,
01:41where LeBlues will now take on Morocco in one of the tournament's most anticipated matches.
01:52And few defenders have influenced this World Cup like Akraf Hakimi.
01:56Morocco's captain has been outstanding at both ends of the field, contributing two goals and two assists,
02:02while completing nearly 400 successful passes.
02:05His speed, energy and attacking runs have become one of Morocco's biggest weapons during the historic campaign.
02:10Now with a place in the semi-finals on the line against France,
02:14Hakimi has another opportunity to lead his nation to one of the greatest achievements in its football history.
02:26And two European heavyweights collide in the second quarter-final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup
02:31as Spain takes on Belgium for a coveted place in the semi-finals.
02:35Spain has been one of the most convincing teams of the tournament,
02:38producing dominant victories over Austria and Portugal,
02:41while combining possession, creativity and defensive solidity.
02:45Belgium arrives with momentum of its own after edging Senegal in a thriller
02:49before delivering an emphatic performance against the United States.
02:52The Red Devils will once again look to Kevin de Bruyne to dictate tempo,
02:57while Spain's young stars and fluid attack have made them one of the favourites to lift the trophy.
03:01Both nations know that a single mistake could decide the contest,
03:05making this a tactical battle between two of Europe's elite.
03:08The winner will move one step closer to the World Cup final,
03:12where either France or Morocco awaits in the semi-final.
03:21And the third quarter-final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will put together two teams
03:25that have earned their place through resilience and clinical finishing.
03:29Norway has emerged as one of the tournament's biggest surprises,
03:32knocking out both Cote d'Ivoire and five-time champions Brazil to reach the last eight.
03:37Led by Erling Haaland and an organised defensive unit,
03:41the Norwegians have shown they can compete with anyone.
03:45Standing in their ways, England, who survived tough tests against their Congo
03:48and host nation Mexico to keep their title hopes alive.
03:52With Harry Kane, Jude Pelegan and a talented supporting cast,
03:55the Three Lions have relied on their depth and experiencing key moments.
03:59Norway will look to continue its remarkable run,
04:01while England aims to return to the World Cup semi-finals.
04:04With contrasting styles and plenty of attacking talent on both sides,
04:08this match-up has all the ingredients to be one of the tournament's most entertaining quarter-finals.
04:18And England's Morgan Rogers referred to the offensive threats that Erling Haaland brings to the pitch,
04:23adding that they will try to succeed in stopping him ahead of their quarter-final match on Saturday.
04:30Has anyone ever stopped Erling Haaland? I'm not sure they have,
04:33but we're going to try, you're going to have to try.
04:35I think he's such an unbelievable player.
04:38The things he does, the numbers he puts up,
04:40you're just in awe of how good he is and the level he's at.
04:44We're going to have to maybe try and stop how they play
04:47and work on those things and stop how the balls go into him
04:50and how he gets his chances, because he's so deadly in front of a goal.
04:54And we've got to be aware of that, we've got to know that.
04:56But the Harry Kane, Haaland debate, yeah, will live on, I think.
04:59Completely different strikers, but both, they're the two for me at the top of their game.
05:04And in this tournament have been two of the best players at this tournament.
05:07And yeah, it's a spectacle, I suppose, for the fans,
05:09that it's going to be a good one to see who comes out on top.
05:11And I hope it's Harry, and I'm sure it will be.
05:14I think we've got that confidence in him,
05:15and he's playing at probably the highest level he's ever played at,
05:19which is madness to say, because what we've been doing for so many years,
05:21to say that this is the best is crazy, really.
05:24But he's such a good player, such a good leader, and we'll be leaning on him for the game for
05:29sure.
05:34And Norway midfielder Martin Odegaard said anything can happen on Saturday against England.
05:40I think we've showed the whole world that we're a good team.
05:43And as I said, in football anything is possible, and even though we're the underdogs again,
05:50let's see what happens, and let's prepare well, and let's keep enjoying our football and this moment together.
05:55Yeah, but that's the same for both teams. We're both from the north.
06:00We are no...
06:03No one of these teams are used to this kind of heat,
06:06so that's equal for both, so there's no excuses for that.
06:10Everything is fine. Every player is fine.
06:12So there's no sickness among the players.
06:17There's been one or two in the staff.
06:20So at this moment, we are all ready to go.
06:27And well, this is all for this edition of Beyond the Game.
06:29The boss is here, as we were saying, at 4pm Caracas time,
06:32the first quarterfinal match between France and Morocco will start.
06:35We'll have other information as the game is close to the kicking point.
06:39We'll go back to you, Lore.
06:41Thank you so much, Luisi, for keeping us posted on today's updates in the world of football.
06:47And with this special segment and this information,
06:50we have come to the end of this news brief.
06:52Remember, you can find this and many other stories on our website at telesurienglish.net.
06:57And join us on social media.
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07:02For Telesuri English, I am Lorena Fon.
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