France beat Morocco 2-0 in the first quarter-final of the 2026 World Cup on Thursday in Foxborough, near Boston, to reach a third consecutive semi-final.
After a goalless first half, Kylian Mbappé broke the deadlock in the 60th minute with his eighth goal of the tournament, drawing level with Argentina’s Lionel Messi at the top of the scoring charts.
Ousmane Dembélé added a second six minutes later to put France firmly in control against a disappointing Morocco side that never threatened in attack.
Mbappé could have struck earlier but missed a penalty in the 28th minute.
The match was France’s 183rd under coach Didier Deschamps, and the win sent Les Bleus into the semi-finals, where they will face either Spain or Belgium.
That last-eight tie will be played in Los Angeles on Friday, with the semi-final scheduled for Tuesday 14 July in Dallas.
France also ended Morocco’s 34-match unbeaten run and improved their record against the Atlas Lions to five wins and two draws from seven meetings.
The previous encounter between the sides came in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when France also won 2-0.
This was France’s 10th World Cup quarter-final and their eighth victory at this stage, following wins in 1958, 1982, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2018 and 2022.
Their only defeats in World Cup quarter-finals came in 1938 and 2014.
By reaching the semi-finals again, France moved level with Brazil for total World Cup semi-final appearances, while Germany remain the most frequent semi-finalists with 12.
