France booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating Morocco 2-0, with Kylian Mbappé producing another match-winning display to keep Les Bleus firmly on course for a third world title.
The Real Madrid superstar recovered from an early penalty miss to score his eighth goal of the tournament before Ousmane Dembélé sealed victory, as Didier Deschamps’ side proved too strong for the Atlas Lions in a dominant quarter-final performance.
France were awarded a first-half penalty after Mbappé was brought down inside the area by Morocco defender Noussair Mazraoui. However, goalkeeper Yassine Bounou guessed correctly to comfortably save the forward’s spot-kick.
Despite the setback, France continued to control possession and eventually broke the deadlock in the 60th minute. Mbappé cut inside from the left before curling a superb effort beyond Bounou to finally reward France’s dominance.
Just six minutes later, Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé doubled the advantage after driving at the Morocco defence and firing a low strike that found the back of the net despite Bounou getting a hand to the ball.
Golden Boot Race Heats Up
Mbappé’s eighth goal of the tournament sees him move level with Lionel Messi in the scoring charts. However, the French captain currently leads the Golden Boot race thanks to having registered more assists than the Argentine legend.
The goal also adds another chapter to the battle between the two football icons for the all-time FIFA World Cup scoring record. Mbappé now has 20 World Cup goals, just one behind Messi’s record tally of 21.
Morocco struggled to trouble the French defence throughout the contest, managing just one shot on target as France comfortably secured their place in the last four.
The two-time world champions will now face either Spain or Belgium in the semi-finals as they continue their pursuit of a third FIFA World Cup crown after previous triumphs in 1998 and 2018.
With Mbappé in sensational form and France continuing to impress, Les Bleus remain among the strongest favourites to lift the trophy.
