France secure a place in the semi-finals, becoming the first team to reach the last four of the tournament.
France booked their place in the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2026 after defeating Morocco 2-0 in the tournament’s first quarter-final, becoming the first team to reach the final four.
The match, played in Boston, USA, saw France dominate from the opening whistle, launching repeated attacks on the Moroccan goal. However, despite their early pressure, neither side managed to score in the first half.
France had a golden opportunity before the break when Kylian Mbappé was awarded a penalty, but Morocco’s goalkeeper produced a brilliant save to deny the French captain, leaving the match goalless at halftime.
France maintained complete control after the restart. In the 60th minute, captain Kylian Mbappé broke the deadlock to give his side the lead, and just six minutes later, Ousmane Dembélé doubled France’s advantage with a superb finish to make it 2-0.
Morocco also created a few chances to fight back. In the 82nd minute, the French goalkeeper made an outstanding save from a free kick, while Morocco later squandered another clear scoring opportunity.
With the victory, France advanced to the FIFA World Cup semi-finals for the third consecutive tournament, while Morocco’s impressive campaign came to an end in the quarter-finals.
Mbappé also achieved another historic milestone with his goal. His tally in the ongoing World Cup has reached eight goals, making him the first footballer in FIFA World Cup history to score eight goals in two different editions of the tournament. He had previously scored eight goals at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.