Saturday’s World Cup quarterfinal header features three star-studded European giants, and one celebrated underdog that’s trying to become the first African team to reach a semifinal.
In the early game, Morocco and its legion of fans will try to upset Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal. But will Ronaldo be left on the bench again, after his team’s dazzling performance in a 6-1 rout of Switzerland?
The second game is a clash of old rivals and friends. England hopes to make a major tournament semifinal for the third straight time, while France aims to keep its World Cup title defense alive.
The winners will meet in the semifinals on Wednesday (2 p.m., Fox, Telemundo, Peacock).
Morocco vs. Portugal
Time: 10 a.m.
Venue: Al Thumama Stadium, Doha
English TV/streaming: Fox and FoxSports.com (Derek Rae on play-by-play with analyst Aly Wagner)
Spanish TV/streaming: Telemundo, TelemundoDeportes.com and Peacock (Copán Alvarez on play-by-play with analysts Natalia Astrain and Amelia Valverde)
FoxSports.com and TelemundoDeportes.com require authentication through participating pay-TV providers. Peacock is NBC and Telemundo’s subscription streaming service.
Fox also has replays of every game for free on its streaming platform, Tubi.
Betting odds: Morocco +280, Portugal -370. Some bookmakers may offer odds for a tie in regulation. FanDuel, where these odds came from, does not.
Players to watch
Morocco: Yassine Bounou. The Atlas Lions’ goalkeeper was born in Montreal, and is one of many players with roots in Morocco’s worldwide diaspora. He could be in for a busy game here.
Portugal: Gonçalo Ramos. The 21-year-old from Benfica had played just once for his country’s senior squad before making two late-game substitute appearances in this World Cup’s group stage. Then he started against Switzerland when Cristiano Ronaldo was benched, and scored a hat trick. Whether he goes back to the bench is one of the biggest stories leading up to kickoff.
England vs. France
Time: 2 p.m.
Venue: Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor
English TV/streaming: Fox and FoxSports.com (John Strong on play-by-play with analyst Stuart Holden and reporters Geoff Shreeves and Jenny Taft)
Spanish TV/streaming: Telemundo, TelemundoDeportes.com and Peacock (Andrés Cantor on play-by-play with analysts Maxi Rodríguez and Manuel Sol)
Betting odds: England +108, France -130.
Players to watch
England: Jude Bellingham. He’s been effervescent in midfield throughout the tournament, and now can make himself even more of a Three Lions legend. And he’s just 19 years old.
France: Antoine Griezmann. It’s natural to focus on Kylian Mbappé. But do it too much and you run the risk of getting beaten by the rest of France’s elite talent.
