Mbappé Stars as France Beat Morocco 2-0 to Reach Third Consecutive World Cup Semifinal

France needed only a few minutes early in the second half to put away Morocco, beating them 2-0 in a quarterfinal rematch of their 2022 semifinal meeting and moving into the last four for a third consecutive World Cup.

Kylian Mbappé had a chance to open the scoring in the first half but saw his penalty saved after France dominated much of the opening 45 minutes without finding a breakthrough. The Real Madrid striker made up for it after the break, curling home a superb effort for his eighth goal of the tournament, and Ousmane Dembélé doubled the lead six minutes later. France will now face either Spain or Belgium in the semifinal.

Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou was the difference for most of the first half, keeping his side level despite being under near-constant pressure. He denied a header from Dayot Upamecano early on, then produced his biggest moment in the 25th minute, guessing correctly to save Mbappé's penalty after Noussair Mazraoui had brought the striker down in the box. 

Mbappé briefly appeared frustrated with officials over a delay before taking the kick, but the miss didn't stop him from creating more danger. Bounou wasn't finished either, later making a smart low stop on Désiré Doué and tipping a long-range effort from Lucas Digne onto the crossbar to keep the score at 0-0 heading into halftime, despite France firing off well over a dozen shots to Morocco's one in the opening half alone.

Morocco's resistance didn't last long after the restart. In the 60th minute, Doué slipped Mbappé through, and the striker curled a finish into the far corner to put France ahead. Six minutes later, Mbappé turned provider, feeding Dembélé, who calmly steered a low shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the box to make it 2-0. 

Mbappé was forced off in the 77th minute after appearing to pick up a knock, replaced by Jean-Philippe Mateta, but by then the result was well in hand, and France closed out the game comfortably.

By the Numbers

Morocco actually edged the possession count, holding the ball for a slim majority of the match, but that control never translated into meaningful chances. France finished with more than four times as many shots as Morocco and put roughly nine efforts on target compared with just one for the Atlas Lions. 

France also dominated the space that mattered most, piling up far more touches and shots from inside the box, and created several clear-cut chances while Morocco managed none. 

Passing accuracy leaned France's way as well, and their defense allowed Morocco almost nothing in the way of quality attempts all night. Both sides ended level on corners, one of the few categories where Morocco matched their opponent.

Man of the Match

Mbappé was named man of the match, capping his recovery from the missed penalty with a goal and an assist and continuing his pursuit of Lionel Messi's all-time World Cup scoring record. 

🍿🇫🇷 OFFICIAL: Kylian Mbappé, FIFA Man of the Match for France vs Morocco.

Goal + assist delivered. pic.twitter.com/SUz14gL3NF

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 9, 2026

Mbappé now sits on 20 career World Cup goals to Messi's record 21, and the assist on Dembélé's goal also moved him ahead in the race for the tournament's Golden Boot. 

What it Means

The win sends France into their third straight World Cup semifinal, a feat only two other nations have managed. Les Bleus, who lost the 2022 final to Argentina on penalties, will find out their semifinal opponent when Spain and Belgium meet, with that winner awaiting France in Dallas.