By Ghazali Ibrahim
France booked their place in the World Cup 2026 semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over Morocco at Boston Stadium on Thursday, repeating the scoreline that eliminated the Atlas Lions in 2022.
The defending finalists were clinical in the second half after a tense first 45 minutes. Kylian Mbappé broke the deadlock in the 60th minute, curling a shot past Issa Diop and inside the right post for his tournament-leading 8th goal. Six minutes later, Ousmane Dembélé made it 2-0 with a low finish for his 5th goal of the World Cup.
Mbappé, who also had a 26th-minute penalty saved by Yassine Bounou, was substituted in the 77th minute after going down but walked off under his own power to a standing ovation.
France dominated in front of goal with 20 shots and 7 on target, compared to Morocco’s 4 shots and 1 on target. Despite Morocco edging possession 52% to 48%, they could not break down a French defense that has now kept three straight clean sheets in the knockout stage which is 339 minutes without conceding.
The result sends Les Bleus to Arlington, Texas for a semi-final on Tuesday, July 14 at AT&T Stadium. They will face the winner of Friday’s quarter-final between Spain and Belgium.
“It is a confirmation for us,” said France manager Didier Deschamps. “We’re extremely proud to be here. The collective spirit is our strength.”
For Morocco, it was heartbreak again at the hands of France. The Atlas Lions were without forward Ismaiel Saibari and struggled to create chances despite matching France for corners at 5 each.
Mbappé now sits level with Lionel Messi at the top of the Golden Boot race with 8 goals.
