(Boston, July 10) France booked their place in the 2026 World Cup semi-finals with a composed 2-0 victory over Morocco in a quarter-final clash at Gillette Stadium in Boston. Goals from Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele in the second half were enough to separate the sides after a tense first half that ended goalless despite France’s overwhelming attacking dominance.
France vs Morocco had all the ingredients of a classic knockout encounter, and the match largely delivered. Les Bleus registered 13 shots in the first half alone, yet found themselves unable to convert until Mbappe finally broke the deadlock in the 60th minute. The Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou was the reason France entered the interval without a goal, making a series of outstanding stops including a penalty save from Mbappe in the 25th minute — the fourth time in his World Cup career that Bounou has kept out a spot kick.
The breakthrough came midway through the second half when Mbappe intercepted possession in the attacking third, drove into the box and curled a precise finish into the far corner to make it 1-0. The goal was Mbappe’s eighth of the tournament, drawing him level with Lionel Messi at the top of the Golden Boot standings. Six minutes later, France doubled their advantage through a move of clinical simplicity — Mbappe played a defence-splitting through ball to Dembele, who cut inside and struck cleanly from the edge of the area to make it 2-0.
Morocco pushed for a way back into the match in the closing stages, with substitute Rahimi and a late effort from Wahdi both failing to trouble goalkeeper Maignan. The final whistle confirmed France’s passage to the semi-finals, where they will face the winner of the other quarter-final. For Morocco, defeat marks the end of a resilient World Cup campaign, having reached the last eight for the second consecutive tournament.
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