France vs Morocco isn't just another World Cup quarter-final. For many Moroccan fans, it's unfinished business.

🌐 Here's What Happened

Four years ago, France ended Morocco's extraordinary World Cup run in Qatar, knocking out the first African and Arab nation ever to reach a World Cup semi-final.

On Thursday in Boston they meet again, but this time Morocco aren't returning as football's dreamers.

"This is a revenge match for the Moroccan national team," says Moroccan sports journalist Hamza Shteiwy.

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"Especially for the players who were part of that 2022 squad. They felt that loss deeply, and now they're looking to settle the score - for themselves and for the team."

I still remember standing inside Al Bayt Stadium that night in Qatar. Even in defeat, there was a sense that something extraordinary had happened. Morocco had changed the way the football world saw them.

Back then, simply reaching the semi-finals felt like a miracle.

Today, reaching the semi-finals would simply meet expectations.

"In 2022 we were the dreamers," says Shteiwy. "Now people's expectations are much higher. Anything less than the semi-finals wouldn't be considered an achievement."

Since Qatar, Morocco's Under-20 side has won the Under-20 World Cup, the senior team has climbed to sixth in Fifa's rankings, and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation's (RMFF) long-term investment in youth development is beginning to bear fruit.

📰 Source: BBC Africa