FRANCE booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating Morocco 2-0 in a commanding quarter-final performance inspired by Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele.
News Point Nigeria Sport reports that Mbappe made amends for an earlier penalty miss by scoring his eighth goal of the tournament, while Dembele added a second as Didier Deschamps’ side proved too strong for Morocco and moved one step closer to another world title.
The Real Madrid forward had the opportunity to hand France an early advantage after winning a first-half penalty when he was fouled by Manchester United defender Noussair Mazraoui. However, his poorly struck spot-kick was comfortably saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Despite the setback, France continued to dominate proceedings and eventually broke the deadlock in the 60th minute when Mbappe curled a superb effort into the net from just inside the penalty area to hand his side a deserved lead.
Only six minutes later, Ballon d’Or holder Dembele doubled France’s advantage after being allowed space to drive at the Moroccan defence. His low effort found the back of the net despite Bounou managing to get a hand to the ball.
Mbappe’s goal moved him level with Argentina captain Lionel Messi as the tournament’s joint-leading scorer, although the French star now leads the race for the Golden Boot courtesy of his superior assist record over his former Paris Saint-Germain teammate.
The battle between the two superstars for the title of the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer has also intensified, with the 27-year-old Mbappe now boasting 20 World Cup goals, just one behind Messi’s record tally of 21 goals amassed by the 39-year-old Argentine.
France, winners of the World Cup in 1998 and 2018, will now face either Spain or Belgium in the semi-finals in Dallas on Tuesday.
Having lost to Argentina on penalties in the 2022 World Cup final, Les Bleus are widely regarded as one of the favourites to lift the trophy again on July 19.
Ahead of the quarter-final encounter, former England striker Ian Wright described Didier Deschamps’ team as “one of the most clear favourites for a World Cup tournament I have ever seen.”
The clash against Morocco, a repeat of the 2022 World Cup semi-final which France also won 2-0, had been billed as the toughest challenge yet for the French side.
However, Morocco, ranked seventh in the world, struggled to impose themselves on the contest. They managed only one shot on target, which came in the 83rd minute when they were already two goals down. Overall, the North Africans registered just five attempts, with four failing to test the French goalkeeper.
France signalled their intentions early in the match as Mbappe saw a powerful 25-yard strike pushed wide by Bounou, who moments later produced another save to deny Dayot Upamecano’s header from the resulting corner.
Dembele and Adrien Rabiot also squandered chances before Mbappe’s penalty miss.
The French captain was forced to wait more than three minutes before taking the penalty as the Video Assistant Referee reviewed the challenge involving Mazraoui. Mbappe then employed a stuttering run-up, but his tame effort towards the right corner was easily saved by Bounou.
France remained firmly in control despite the miss. Desire Doue had an effort saved, while Aston Villa defender Lucas Digne rattled the crossbar with a long-range strike that may have taken the slightest touch off the Moroccan goalkeeper.
It increasingly appeared to be only a matter of time before France found the breakthrough, and two quick goals in the second half effectively ended the contest.
The only concern for Deschamps came late in the match when Mbappe, who was substituted in the 77th minute for Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, was seen with ice strapped to his right ankle.
Any fears over the extent of the injury were quickly eased after the final whistle, as Mbappe enthusiastically celebrated France’s sixth consecutive victory of the tournament alongside his teammates.
In addition to boasting one of the tournament’s joint-top scorers, France have also emerged as the highest-scoring team at the competition, having netted 16 goals in six matches.
With their attack firing and confidence growing, France continue to establish themselves as the team to beat at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.