Mbappé Leads France Past Morocco and Into a Third Straight World Cup Semi-Final

Boston, USA – France are one step closer to another FIFA World Cup™ crown after defeating Morocco 2-0 in the quarter-finals on Thursday evening at Boston Stadium. Inspired by captain Kylian Mbappé, Les Bleus secured their place in a third consecutive World Cup semi-final, where they will face either Belgium or Spain.

After a tense first half, Mbappé redeemed himself from the penalty spot with a brilliant second-half performance, scoring once and providing an assist as France once again demonstrated why they remain among the favorites to lift the trophy.

France dominated possession from the opening whistle and created the first real chance in the fifth minute when Dayot Upamecano's header was comfortably saved by Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

The reigning African giants defended bravely and were given a major boost late in the first half. After Noussair Mazraoui fouled Mbappé inside the penalty area, the French captain stepped up from the spot, but Bounou produced an outstanding save to keep the score level heading into halftime.

France finally found the breakthrough in the 60th minute. Mbappé collected the ball outside the box before curling a superb right-footed finish into the far corner, scoring his tournament-leading eighth goal and igniting celebrations among the French supporters.

Just six minutes later, Mbappé turned provider. His perfectly timed through ball released Ousmane Dembélé, who calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner to double France's advantage and effectively end Morocco's hopes of another historic World Cup upset.

Didier Deschamps' side expertly controlled the remainder of the match, limiting Morocco's attacking opportunities and comfortably booking another place among the world's top four teams.

Mbappé Continues to Rewrite World Cup History

The victory further cemented Mbappé's legendary status on football's biggest stage.

The French superstar now has 20 career FIFA World Cup goals, leaving him just one behind Lionel Messi's all-time record of 21. His strike against Morocco also took his tally to eight goals and three assists in six matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, placing him at the top of the Golden Boot race.

Mbappé has now scored in five of France's six matches during the tournament and has also extended his record as the player with the most goals in World Cup knockout-stage history, reaching 12 career knockout goals.

Meanwhile, Dembélé's goal was his fifth of the tournament, making him only the third French player to score five goals in a single World Cup edition, joining Mbappé and the legendary Just Fontaine.

Deschamps: "We've Cleared a Major Hurdle"

France head coach Didier Deschamps praised his team's resilience after a difficult opening half.

"It was a tough match. We missed a penalty and failed to convert some chances, but with Kylian there is never any doubt. He always believes in himself. We are exactly where we wanted to be. We've cleared a major hurdle and now we will recover before preparing for the semi-final."

Mbappé also remained focused on the ultimate objective.

"The only way to relax is by winning. We're very happy to be in the semi-finals, but there's still a long way to go. What comes next will be even more difficult, but we're ready."

Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi praised his players despite the elimination.

"We represented not only Morocco but many people across Africa and Asia. The future is bright for this team. We're disappointed, but we'll continue working to win titles."

France Dreaming of Another World Cup Crown

France have now reached the semi-finals in three consecutive FIFA World Cups following their triumph in Russia 2018 and runners-up finish in Qatar 2022.

With Mbappé producing football of the highest level and the French squad growing stronger with every match, Les Bleus are now just two victories away from lifting a third FIFA World Cup trophy.