France advanced to the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals with a 2–0 victory over Morocco in the quarter-finals on 10 July 2026. Goals from Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé secured the result as Didier Deschamps’ side booked a last-four meeting with Spain.
France entered the quarter-final as one of the tournament favourites, while Morocco aimed to reach the World Cup semi-finals for the second consecutive edition. Played at Gillette Stadium near Boston, the match featured a disciplined Moroccan defence during the opening stages. France had an opportunity to take an early lead when Kylian Mbappé won a penalty, but Yassine Bounou denied the forward from the spot to keep the match level.
France eventually broke the deadlock through Mbappé, who recovered from the earlier missed penalty to open the scoring. Morocco pushed for an equaliser but struggled to create clear-cut opportunities against the French defence. Ousmane Dembélé added France’s second goal in the second half after a mistake by Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, giving Les Bleus a two-goal cushion they maintained until the final whistle.
The victory sent France into a third consecutive FIFA World Cup semi-final, where they were set to face Spain. Morocco’s campaign ended in the quarter-finals after another strong tournament run. Head coach Mohamed Ouahbi acknowledged France’s quality after the match, describing the French side as the better team on the day.
Standout Performances
- Kylian Mbappé scored France’s opening goal despite missing a first-half penalty.
- Ousmane Dembélé scored France’s second goal.
- Yassine Bounou saved Mbappé’s first-half penalty.
- France kept a clean sheet to advance to the semi-finals.
The turning point came after Mbappé’s missed penalty. France continued to control possession and eventually broke through, with Mbappé opening the scoring before Dembélé doubled the advantage to put the quarter-final beyond Morocco’s reach.
Match Statistics
- Tournament: FIFA World Cup 2026
- Round: Quarter-final
- Date: 10 July 2026
- Venue: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
- Final Score: France 2–0 Morocco
- Half-time: France 1–0 Morocco
- Goals:
- Kylian Mbappé (France)
- Ousmane Dembélé (France)
- Penalty: Kylian Mbappé (France) – Saved by Yassine Bounou
- Clean Sheet: France
- Next Match: France vs Spain (Semi-final)