Play store
France booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a commanding 2-0 victory over Morocco at Boston Stadium in the United States on Friday.
Goals from Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé in the second half sealed the win for Didier Deschamps’ side, sending France into their third consecutive World Cup semi-final after lifting the trophy in 2018 and finishing runners-up in 2022.
France will now face the winner of the quarter-final between Spain and Belgium.
Widely regarded as one of the tournament favourites, France extended their winning streak to six matches, having won all three group-stage fixtures before progressing through the knockout rounds.
The French side controlled the contest from start to finish, outshooting Morocco 22-5 overall after holding a commanding 13-1 advantage in the first half. Morocco managed just one shot on target throughout the match.
Morocco, semi-finalists at the 2022 World Cup, had impressed during this tournament with a draw against Brazil in the group stage and a penalty shootout victory over the Netherlands in the previous round.
However, they were unable to overcome the strength and depth of the French side.
France lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Mbappé leading the attack, supported by Désiré Doué, Michael Olise and Dembélé. Adrien Rabiot and Manu Koné controlled the midfield, while the back four featured Lucas Digne, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano and Jules Koundé in front of goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
Morocco started with Bilal El Khannouss in attack, supported by Chemseddine Talbi, Aziz Bouhadda and Brahim Díaz. Nail El Aynaoui and Ayoub Bouaddi anchored the midfield, while Anass Salah-Eddine, Noussair Mazraoui, Issa Diop and Achraf Hakimi formed the defence ahead of goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
France dominated the opening half and created several clear opportunities. Mbappé tested Bounou early with a long-range effort, while Upamecano came close with a header from a corner. Doué and Dembélé also threatened repeatedly as France pinned Morocco inside their own half.
The best chance of the first half came in the 28th minute when Mbappé won a penalty after being fouled by Mazraoui inside the box. However, Bounou produced an excellent save to deny the French captain from the spot.
France continued to press after the missed penalty, but Bounou made another impressive stop to keep out Doué’s effort during a swift counterattack. Despite France’s dominance, the teams went into the break level at 0-0.
The breakthrough finally came in the 60th minute. Mbappé collected the ball on the left edge of the penalty area, cut inside and curled a superb right-footed strike beyond the outstretched Bounou to give France a deserved lead. The goal moved Mbappé level with Lionel Messi as the tournament’s joint top scorer with eight goals.
France doubled their advantage six minutes later. Dembélé surged forward on a counterattack before unleashing a powerful right-footed shot from outside the penalty area that found the back of the net, effectively ending Morocco’s hopes of a comeback.
Morocco pushed forward in the closing stages in search of a lifeline, but France remained defensively solid while continuing to threaten on the counterattack. Neither side added to the scoreline before the final whistle.
The 2-0 victory secured France’s place in a third successive World Cup semi-final and kept alive their hopes of lifting the trophy once again.
