France beat Morocco 2-0 in Boston as Mbappé and Dembélé score to send Les Bleus into the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-finals

France beat Morocco 2-0 in Boston on Thursday, 9 July 2026, to secure a place in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with second-half goals from Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé ending Morocco’s impressive tournament run.

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The victory at the quarter-final stage sent defending 2018 champions France into a third consecutive World Cup semi-final, where Didier Deschamps’ side will face either Spain or Belgium in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday.

France controlled much of the match and created several opportunities early on, but Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou produced a series of important saves to keep the African champions in contention.

Les Bleus came close to opening the scoring in the 28th minute when Mbappé won a penalty after being brought down by Noussair Mazraoui. However, after a lengthy VAR review, the France captain saw his spot-kick saved by Bounou.

Morocco, who had been viewed as a serious threat to France’s hopes of reaching another World Cup final, defended with determination throughout the first half and managed to go into the break level.

The breakthrough finally arrived in the 60th minute when Mbappé created space near the edge of the box before curling a superb right-foot shot beyond Bounou to give France the lead.

Dembélé then sealed the result six minutes later, driving forward from midfield before calmly placing a low finish into the bottom corner to put France firmly in control.

Morocco struggled to create clear chances, with France goalkeeper Mike Maignan making his first major intervention late in the match by stopping an 83rd-minute free-kick from Azzedine Ounahi.

The result ended Morocco’s hopes of becoming the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final, but their campaign further strengthened their reputation as one of international football’s rising forces.

Meanwhile, attention now turns to the remaining quarter-final fixtures as France await their next opponent. Spain, who are yet to concede in the tournament, face Belgium in Los Angeles, while Argentina meet Switzerland in Kansas City.

The tournament has also seen continued debate around officiating decisions, particularly after Argentina’s controversial victory over Egypt in the previous round. FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina dismissed suggestions that officials could be influenced during matches.

“Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials,” Collina said.

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With the semi-final stage approaching, France remain among the leading contenders for the trophy, backed by the experience of their previous World Cup success and the attacking quality of players such as Mbappé and Dembélé.