France became the first team to reach the 2026 World Cup semifinals, beating Morocco 2-0 at Boston Stadium with second-half goals from Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele.
France 2-0 Morocco
Morocco kept the game scoreless through the first half, but France took control after the break. Mbappe opened the scoring in the 60th minute and Dembele doubled the lead only six minutes later.
Yassine Bounou then saved a Mbappe penalty to prevent further damage, but France comfortably protected the two-goal advantage. It was the second consecutive World Cup in which France eliminated Morocco by the same score: in the 2022 semifinal and now in the 2026 quarterfinal.
Mbappe draws level with Messi
Mbappe's goal was his eighth of the tournament, pulling him level with Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race. France have won all six of their matches and eliminated Sweden, Paraguay and Morocco in the knockout rounds.
Morocco fell short of another semifinal, but still reached at least the last eight for a second straight World Cup after their 3-0 Round-of-16 win over co-host Canada.
Remaining quarterfinals
| Date | Match | Status | |------|-------|--------| | July 9 | France 2-0 Morocco | France advanced | | July 10 | Spain vs Belgium | Upcoming | | July 11 | Norway vs England | Upcoming | | July 11 | Argentina vs Switzerland | Upcoming |
France will meet the winner of Spain vs Belgium in the July 14 semifinal. Norway, England, Argentina and Switzerland remain in the other half of the bracket.
Sources: FIFA knockout schedule, France vs Morocco match report, Bounou penalty-save report