- France vs Morocco: Les Bleus comfortably beat the Atlas Lions 2-0 to book their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinals.
- Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele scored the decisive second-half goals on Thursday night in Boston.
- France will face either Spain or Belgium in the semifinal on Tuesday in Dallas.
Kylian Mbappe missed a penalty before scoring his eighth goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup as France ended Morocco’s long unbeaten run with a comfortable 2-0 victory in Boston to secure a place in the semifinals.
Ousmane Dembele would be quick to highlight that Mbappe’s 20th overall World Cup goal, alongside his fifth of the tournament courtesy of Mbappe’s third assist, ensured the Atlas Lions, who looked thoroughly off-color, headed home.
Their 34-match unbeaten run, which dated back to a 1-0 loss to Kenya in August 2025 during the African Nations Championship, was finally shattered, meaning the last African side standing has now bowed out.
The result mirrored the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where the two sides also met in the semifinals.
Once again, France came out on top to book their eighth World Cup semifinal appearance and will now face either Spain or Belgium on Tuesday in Dallas.
To be fair, this was probably France’s most comfortable win of the tournament. Morocco struggled to replicate the performances that had taken them this far.
As Mohamed Ouahbi’s men pushed forward, Desire Doue won possession from Achraf Hakimi, who believed he had been fouled.
The ball broke to Mbappe on the left wing, and he burst into the box before Manchester United defender Noussair Mazraoui brought him down.
The referee pointed to the spot in the 25th minute. Chasing his eighth goal of the tournament, Mbappe had to wait nearly three minutes before taking the penalty, but his weak effort was comfortably saved by Bono.
Compared to their previous matches, Morocco lacked their usual intensity throughout the first half.
Even after the break, they remained deep in a low block and waited for counterattacks, but they failed to register a single shot until the 57th minute.
Mbappe finally made amends just after the hour mark. It all started with excellent work from Adrien Rabiot in midfield to keep Morocco pinned back.
The visitors appealed for handball, but play continued as Mbappe curled a superb strike into the top corner beyond Issa Diop.
Bono had absolutely no chance. With barely any backlift, the finish was simply devastating, and Mbappe moved level with Lionel Messi on eight World Cup goals.
Just six minutes later, Mbappe turned provider, setting up Dembele for France’s second goal.
There was far too much space between Morocco’s midfield and defence, allowing Mbappe to receive the ball before laying it off perfectly for the PSG forward.
Mbappe’s movement created the opening, and although Bono got a hand to Dembele’s shot, he could only push it into the side netting as France doubled their advantage.
Morocco eventually managed to get a few efforts on target, but they never looked capable of troubling a composed French side that controlled the match from start to finish and deservedly advanced to the semifinals.
France vs Morocco – 2026 FIFA World Cup Quarterfinals Lineups
- France: Maignan, Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Digne, Kone, Rabiot, Dembele, Olise, Doue, Mbappe.
- Subs: Samba, Gusto, Tchouameni, Thuram, Kante, Konate, Zaire-Emery, Theo Hernandez, Lucas Hernandez, Mateta, Risser, Cherki, Akliouche, Lacroix, Barcola.
- Morocco: Bounou, Hakimi, Diop, Mazraoui, Saleh-Eddine, Bouaddi, El Aynaoui, Diaz, Ounahi, Talbi, El Khannous.
- Subs: Mohamedi, Tagnaouti, Amrabat, Saadane, Saibari, El Ouahdi, El Mourabet, Yassine, Sbai, Belammari, El Kaabi, Amaimouni-Echghouyab, Halhal, Riad, Rahimi.
Read more about other World Cup teams in 2026 below:
Morocco national football team 2026
Argentina national football team 2026
Mexico national football team 2026
Spain national football team 2026
Brazil national football team 2026
France national football team 2026
Senegal national football team 2026