This is not the first time Morocco have faced a nation where some of their own players were born. In the Round of 32, they took on the Netherlands with three Dutch-born players in their squad. Against France, that number has doubled.

Among the six, Ayyoub Bouaddi has attracted the most attention. The 18-year-old midfielder was part of France's Under-21 squad earlier this year and even captained the team. However, ahead of the World Cup, he chose to represent Morocco at senior international level.

Morocco have spent several years actively recruiting talented dual-nationality players eligible to represent the country. Before this tournament, France-born players such as Sofiane Boufal, Romain Saiss, Marouane Chamakh, Mehdi Benatia and Mustapha Hadji all opted to wear the Moroccan jersey.