Kylian Mbappé produced another match-winning display as France defeated Morocco 2-0 on Thursday night to book their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-finals, ending Africa’s interest in the tournament.
The victory sends Les Bleus into the last four for the third consecutive World Cup, where they will face either Spain or Belgium.
France controlled much of the first half, enjoying the majority of possession and creating the clearer opportunities. However, they were denied an early breakthrough when Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou saved Mbappé’s penalty in the 28th minute to keep the scores level.
The deadlock was finally broken after the interval as France continued to pile on the pressure.
Mbappé redeemed himself for his earlier miss, finishing clinically into the far corner after being played through by Désiré Doué to give the 2018 world champions a deserved lead.
France doubled their advantage just six minutes later, with Mbappé once again at the heart of the move. The captain turned provider, slipping the ball to Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, who calmly curled a low strike into the bottom corner from the edge of the penalty area.
Despite their spirited efforts, Morocco struggled to create clear-cut opportunities against the disciplined French defence. The Atlas Lions, Africa’s final remaining representatives, were unable to produce another memorable comeback as their World Cup journey came to an end.
Morocco bows out after another impressive campaign, having once again demonstrated the growing strength of African football on the global stage. However, they were unable to surpass their historic 2022 World Cup achievement, when they became the first African nation to reach the semi-finals.
France will now turn their attention to the semi-finals, where they will face the winner of the quarter-final between Spain and Belgium as they continue their pursuit of a third FIFA World Cup title and a third successive appearance in the tournament final.
