Gillette Stadium, 9 July 2026: France beat Morocco 2-0 in the World Cup quarter-final to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup for the third consecutive time. Goals from Kylian Mbappé (60') and Ousmane Dembélé (66') settled a contest that France controlled for long stretches without ever appearing in genuine danger. Morocco, for their part, failed to create a single clear-cut chance across the full 90 minutes.
First half: Bounou saves, France bide their time
France dictated proceedings from the first whistle. Both sides lined up in a 4-2-3-1, but the initiative rested firmly with the home team in this quarter-final tie. In the 28th minute, Mbappé had the chance to open the scoring early: a penalty for France. Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, however, kept it out and kept Morocco in the match. It was a moment that could have swung the game — yet Morocco found no answers going forward and reached the break with the scoreline level at 0-0.
Second half: Mbappé strikes, Dembélé doubles the lead
The second half picked up exactly where the first had left off: France in the ascendancy. On the hour mark, the deadlock was finally broken. Mbappé picked up the ball from midfield range and curled a precise finish into the net — Bounou had no chance. 1-0. With that strike, Mbappé brought his overall World Cup tally to 20 goals, making him only the second player in World Cup history to reach that landmark after Lionel Messi. He simultaneously extended his own record for the most goals in World Cup knockout rounds to 12.
Morocco attempted to respond with a double substitution in the 62nd minute — Amrabat and Rahimi came on for Bouaddi and El Khannouss — but the deficit weighed heavily. In the 63rd minute, Diop was shown a yellow card. And fewer than three minutes after conceding the opener, the second goal arrived: Ousmane Dembélé collected the ball on the edge of the penalty area, drove into the heart of the Moroccan defence and finished low into the bottom right corner. Bounou got a touch but could not keep it out. Assist: Mbappé. It was Dembélé's fifth goal of the tournament. Together with Mbappé (8 goals), the pair become the first duo since Ronaldo and Rivaldo at the 2002 World Cup in Brazil to both score at least five goals at a single tournament.
Assessment: France in tournament form, Morocco without answers
France managed the result with authority. Mbappé was substituted off in the 77th minute, as was Doue. Further changes followed on the Moroccan side without altering the picture in any meaningful way. The final score of 2-0 is a true reflection of the balance of power on the night.
Head coach Didier Deschamps claimed his tenth World Cup knockout-round victory as France manager with this win — a record in World Cup history. His side displayed flawless tournament form: five matches played, five wins. Morocco had also entered the knockout stages in strong shape, having won four and drawn one of their previous five games, but they found no way through the well-organised French defence. France are into the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup — a tournament being played for the first time with 48 teams and 12 groups, whose knockout phase began as early as the round of 32.
