France has advanced to the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup 2026 after clinching a 2-0 victory over Morocco at the Boston Stadium. Second-half goals from captain Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé sealed the win, securing France's berth in the World Cup semifinals for the third consecutive time.
The first half ended goalless despite a major breakthrough opportunity for France in the 25th minute. Morocco's Noussair Mazraoui fouled Mbappé inside the penalty box, prompting the referee to award a penalty. However, Mbappé's 28th-minute spot-kick was brilliantly saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
France finally broke the deadlock in the 60th minute of the second half when Mbappé found the back of the net, capitalizing a pass from Désiré Doué. Just six minutes later, in the 66th minute, Ousmane Dembélé scored the decisive second goal—assisted by Mbappé—to comfortably book France's semifinal ticket and end Morocco's incredible 34-match unbeaten streak in international football.
With today's goal, Mbappé has brought his tournament tally to 8 goals, tying with Argentina's captain Lionel Messi. However, thanks to his 3 assists in the tournament compared to Messi's single assist, the French captain now leads the race for the Golden Boot. Furthermore, this goal marks Mbappé's 20th career World Cup goal, leaving him just one goal behind Messi's overall tally.
The 2018 champions and 2022 runners-up, France, will now face the winner of the quarterfinal clash between Spain and Belgium for a place in the Grand Finale.
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