Boston’s final World Cup game, between France and Morocco, kicks off this afternoon. Follow live updates.

Boston’s stretch of successfully hosting the 2026 World Cup comes to a close Thursday with the final contest out in Foxborough.

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France, the 2022 runner-up, will face fellow 2022 semifinalist Morocco for a spot in the quarterfinals. After Thursday’s game there are just seven more matches left in the tournament, which culminates with the final in East Rutherford, N.J. on July 19.

The region is once again ready to celebrate, with watch parties planned across Boston and beyond. Follow along with all the action below.

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By Megan Johnson, Globe Correspondent

A squad of Scotsmen arrived at night to Lou Perriello’s Wakefield Airbnb in June to enjoy the World Cup scene in Boston. Then, they went viral.

The next morning at 6:30 a.m., Lewis Porter stood in the front walkway of the Airbnb playing the bagpipes, proudly wearing a Scotland jersey. His father, Neil, and younger brother, Fergus, were also on the scene, as was their friend Raymond Hay, who slept upstairs. The visitors stood in the street looking at the house, where they had hung the Tartan Army’s flags from the windows. Diagonally across the street, neighbor Mike Morrison captured the group’s first visit to Boston on video – and it’s since racked up 9.5 million views on X. It also made the local news.

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By Ken Mahan, Globe Staff

The FIFA World Cup says goodbye to Boston Stadium on Thursday afternoon with a massive quarterfinal match between France and Morocco.

The match should be electric, and the weather is trending to cooperate for the most part.

We won’t be seeing dangerous heat, but Thursday afternoon will feel like a midsummer workout for the players and tens of thousands of fans in attendance.

Temperatures will likely sit in the mid-80s during the pregame tailgate and remain there through the final whistle. Skies will see building clouds, but there will be plenty of streaks of sunshine, and there is a very low chance of a spot shower or thunderstorm during the second half. The latest trend is pointing towards a completely dry match.

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By Jane Miller, Globe Correspondent

Outside the Four Seasons hotel, security tells the crowd of close to 100 fans that the French team will be leaving for Foxborough at 1:15 p.m.

FIFA security and the Boston police department ushered the crowd onto two sides of the hotel entrance, clearing the area for the players.

Sean Paul Cormier, 50, of East Boston, who has been here since 9:30 a.m., will wait as long as it takes.

“I’ve been here long enough,” said Cormier, standing towards the back of the crowd in his white France jersey. “I’m gonna enjoy the moment.”

The owner of a French flower company, French Bouquet of Boston, Cormier sees supporting the French team as a way of reconnecting with his roots.

“I believe most people should do a deep dive into their culture,” Cormier said. “I thought this was the perfect opportunity.”

By Audrey Tomlin, Globe Correspondent

As fans boarded the train at South Station, they’ve disagreed over the convenience and ease of Boston’s World Cup transportation.

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Matthew Noyes, 33, and Mariana Deobaldia, 34, both from Somerville, have appreciated the organization of the transportation in Boston. They highlighted the free water, sunscreen, and bag they received at South Station.

The pair followed Panama to Toronto and New York to support because Deobaldia is from Panama. Today, they’re cheering for Morocco because Noyes studied abroad in there.

“We’re not at the stadium yet, but the way to get to the stadium looks very organized here. New York was very messy,” Deobaldia said. “I think it’s a good setup.”

Sam Ben, 29, from Russia, disagreed. Ben watched Brazil’s World Cup game in New York. So far, he’s appreciated the locker storage at South Station, but he’s found the general instructions on where to go unclear.

“I think in New York, it’s a little bit [more] well organized than Boston,” he said. “But maybe I’m gonna change my opinion.”

By Omar Mohammed, Globe Staff

For fans of Morocco’s national football team, the World Cup quarterfinal match against France on Thursday in Foxborough is more than just a revenge game. Four years ago in Qatar, France ended Morocco’s bid to become the first African and Arab nation to reach the World Cup final.

France’s colonial rule over the North African nation, from 1912 to 1956, adds a layer of tension that was palpable the last time the two titans of global football played in the World Cup.

A win by Morocco Thursday “would not erase the legacy of French colonialism, but it will at least kind of settle a little score in the area of grievances,” said Mohamed Brahimi, a professor of humanities at Worcester State University. “Sports has always been more than just sports … Nations do tend to use it to reclaim some sort of pride.”

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By Sterling Davies, Globe Correspondent

Men in Blazers, a popular soccer podcast, is bringing the party to the Marriott Long Wharf on Thursday, with the live show kicking off at 1 p.m. The event, which is free for fans to attend and watch, features a star-studded guest lineup, including Massachusetts native and World Cup winner Sam Mewis, Hall of Famer and former Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez, plus Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, among others. The show will be followed by a watch party for the quarterfinal match between France and Morocco.

The stop is part of MiBMN’s tour of shows across the country, visiting a few of the US cities that have hosted World Cup matches, including Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Seattle. Following the trip to Boston, the group will go to Dallas and Atlanta again before ending in New York for the finals.

“The focus is really on bringing these different cities and their stories to the national audience,” Roger Bennett, founder and CEO of the Men in Blazers Media Network, told the Globe on Wednesday. “Part of the reason we’re doing this is this football narrative, which is absolutely exhilarating, but also there’s 11 host cities in the United States that want to have their stories told.”

By Jane Miller, Globe Correspondent

Anton Honikman and his son Sammy, 14, had been waiting outside the Four Seasons for more than two hours. All to get a glimpse of the French national team.

The Honikmans, in a crowd of 50 waiting behind metal gates at the hotel doors, are in town from San Francisco to attend Thursday’s game.

“It would be a thrill to catch a glimpse of some of these superstars,” Anton Honikman said.

Crowds have often gathered at the Back Bay hotel to see stars like Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, and Michael Olise. The French are based in Boston for the duration of the World Cup and have been training at Bentley University.

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