France booked their place in the semifinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating Morocco 2-0 in their quarterfinal encounter, with Kylian Mbappé once again playing a decisive role despite missing an early penalty.
The French captain opened the scoring around the hour mark before setting up Ousmane Dembélé for the second goal six minutes later, helping Didier Deschamps’ side secure a comfortable victory.
Although France failed to score before halftime despite creating several clear chances, including a missed penalty, they dominated the contest and eventually made their superiority count in the second half.
Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou continued his impressive record from the penalty spot by denying Mbappé. Including penalty shootouts, Bounou has now conceded only two of the nine penalties he has faced at the FIFA World Cup, while saving four.
Mbappé’s performance placed him in an exclusive group of players to score, provide an assist and miss a penalty in the same World Cup match. He has also now recorded three World Cup matches in which he both scored and assisted, second only to Lionel Messi over the past six decades.
France’s victory marks their third consecutive appearance in a World Cup semifinal after reaching the last four in 2018 and 2022. They become only the third nation to achieve that feat, joining Germany and Brazil.
The result also gives France their eighth World Cup semifinal appearance, matching Brazil’s total, while only Germany have reached more semifinals.
Dembélé’s goal was his fifth of the tournament, having failed to score in both the 2018 and 2022 editions of the competition.
Mbappé now leads the race for the Golden Boot with eight goals, moving ahead of Lionel Messi thanks to his superior assist tally. His strike against Morocco was also the eighth World Cup match-winning goal of his career, setting a new tournament record.
Together, Mbappé and Dembélé have become the first teammates since Brazil’s Ronaldo and Rivaldo in 2002 to score at least five goals each in a single World Cup.
Mbappé has now registered 11 goal contributions at the 2026 tournament, making him the first player since 1966 to record double-digit goal involvements in two different World Cup editions. His overall tally of 20 World Cup goals places him second on the all-time scoring list, behind only Lionel Messi.
The France captain also became the first player to contribute to more than 100 goals for the French national team, recording 64 goals and 37 assists during his international career.
France will now face the winner of the quarterfinal clash between Spain and Belgium as they continue their quest for another World Cup title.
