France beats Morocco 2-0 to become first team into World Cup semifinals
Kylian Mbappé scored and assisted after missing a first-half penalty as France defeated Morocco 2-0 in Boston to reach the last four of the 2026 World Cup.
Match overview
France secured the first semifinal berth of the 2026 World Cup with a 2-0 victory over Morocco at Boston's Gillette Stadium. Didier Deschamps' side controlled the quarterfinal from the opening whistle, though they needed a second-half surge to break down a stubborn Moroccan defence.
Key moments
Yassine Bounou kept Morocco level early, denying Mbappé in the 4th minute and clawing away a Dayot Upamecano header. In the 28th minute, Noussair Mazraoui fouled Mbappé in the box, but Bounou saved the resulting penalty. Lucas Digne struck the crossbar before the break, and the teams went into halftime scoreless.
France raised the tempo after the interval. Mbappé opened the scoring in the 60th minute, curling a shot past Bounou from the edge of the area. Six minutes later, he turned provider, slipping a pass to Ousmane Dembélé, who fired home from 18 metres to make it 2-0. Mbappé was substituted in the 77th minute after feeling muscle cramps.
- Bounou saves Mbappé's shot
- Dembélé fires over the bar
- Mbappé penalty saved by Bounou
- Désiré Doué chance denied by Bounou
- Mbappé scores from edge of the box
- Dembélé doubles the lead
- Mbappé substituted with cramps
- Morocco's first shot on target, saved by Maignan
Records and milestones
Deschamps took charge of his 25th World Cup match as a head coach, equalling the record held by West Germany's Helmut Schön. He has now won 20 of those 25 fixtures across four tournaments. On the Moroccan side, midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi became the second youngest player to start a World Cup quarterfinal at 18 years and 280 days, a mark surpassed only by Pelé.
Top scorer race
Mbappé's goal moved him to eight for the tournament, tying him with Lionel Messi at the top of the scoring chart. Both players remain in the competition, with Argentina facing Switzerland in the quarterfinals.
What's next
France will meet the winner of Spain versus Belgium in the semifinals. The remaining quarterfinal ties are Norway against England and Argentina against Switzerland.
