France defeat Morocco 2-0 to keep alive hopes of reaching a third successive FIFA World Cup final.
France moved a step closer to a third consecutive FIFA World Cup final after defeating Morocco 2-0 in the opening quarter-final of the 2026 tournament on Thursday, securing a place in the last four.
Second-half strikes from Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele sealed victory for Les Bleus, who will now face the winner of the quarter-final between Spain and Belgium in the semi-finals.
France reached the last eight with a narrow 1-0 victory over Paraguay, courtesy of a Mbappe penalty, while Morocco booked their quarter-final place after a convincing 3-0 win over co-host Canada.
The encounter was a repeat of the 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-final, in which France also defeated Morocco by the same 2-0 scoreline.
France dominate first half
Didier Deschamps’ side controlled the opening 45 minutes, registering 13 attempts on goal compared with Morocco’s solitary effort.
Mbappe tested goalkeeper Yassine Bounou with an early long-range effort before Dayot Upamecano was denied by an outstanding save from the Moroccan goalkeeper.
France were awarded a penalty in the 25th minute after Noussair Mazraoui brought down Mbappe inside the area. However, Bounou produced another excellent save to deny the France captain from the spot.
The French pressure continued as Desire Doue forced another save before Lucas Digne struck the crossbar in first-half stoppage time.
Mbappe and Dembele seal victory
France finally found the breakthrough shortly after the hour mark.
Doue slipped a perfectly weighted pass into Mbappe’s path, and the striker calmly curled a right-footed finish into the far corner beyond Bounou.
The goal was Mbappe’s eighth of the tournament, making him the first player to score at least eight goals in two separate FIFA World Cup editions.
France doubled their lead just minutes later through Ousmane Dembele. The 2025 Ballon d’Or winner collected possession outside the penalty area before unleashing a powerful curling effort that left Bounou with no chance.
Morocco unable to respond
Morocco struggled to create clear-cut opportunities throughout the match and only threatened seriously in the closing stages.
In the 83rd minute, Azzedine Ounahi forced an excellent one-handed save from Mike Maignan, while Neil El Aynaoui headed into the side-netting from the resulting corner.
France were briefly concerned when Mbappe limped off in the 77th minute before being replaced by Jean-Philippe Mateta.
After the match, the French captain dismissed fears over his fitness.
“I have a minor ankle injury, but I’m completely fine. Mateta was in a better position to play the remaining minutes of the match and was fitter at that moment. That’s all that happened,” Mbappe said.
Deschamps eyes another final
France coach Didier Deschamps praised his players after they secured another World Cup semi-final appearance.
“We will recover well and see who our opponent will be,” Deschamps said. “I imagine there’s a lot of excitement and passion in France. Here, we are in our own bubble, and I am even more so. That’s what we’re here for, and the players have a duty to do everything they can to go as far as possible. We’ve cleared a major hurdle.”
France will now await the winner of the Spain-Belgium quarter-final as they continue their pursuit of another FIFA World Cup title and a third successive appearance in the tournament’s final.