France was the first team to advance to the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup
The French national team became the first semifinalist in the 2026 World Cup, defeating Morocco 2–0 in a convincing victory. The French extended their unbeaten streak in the tournament and took another step toward competing for the championship title.
France took control from the very start and attacked Morocco’s goal almost continuously. Kylian Mbappé and Dayot Upamecano had dangerous chances early on, but in both cases, Yassine Bounou made brilliant saves. The Moroccans barely ventured out of their own half, focusing on defense and hoping for counterattacks.
In the 25th minute, the French were awarded a penalty after a foul by Nussair Mazraoui on Mbappé. After a brief VAR review, the referee upheld his decision, but Mbappé himself failed to convert the penalty: he seemed thrown off by the forced pause, as Bouna easily guessed the direction of the shot and saved his team. France continued to press before halftime: for example, Désiré Doué squandered a good chance, and Lucas Digne tested the crossbar with a powerful long-range shot.
After the break, Morocco began to play more boldly with the ball, but the French still had the final say. In the 60th minute, Kylian Mbappé finally found his moment, scoring the opening goal with a beautiful curling shot from the left corner of the penalty area that found the far post. Shortly after, Issa Diop received a yellow card for a rough foul on the French captain, and Morocco’s coaching staff attempted to change the course of the game with a double substitution.
Six minutes later, France doubled their lead. Mbappé passed to Ousmane Dembélé, who shot from the edge of the penalty area. The shot wasn’t particularly powerful, but thanks to a deflection and Bouna’s limited view, the ball still found its way into the bottom corner of the net. However, after a brilliant ten-minute stretch, France faced an unpleasant moment. Toward the end of the match, Didier Deschamps was forced to substitute his hero Mbappé, who had suffered an injury, bringing on Jean-Philippe Matete, while Désiré Doué was replaced by Bradley Barcol.
This did not prevent Les Bleus from winning: despite a final push by Morocco, the Africans were unable to avenge their loss in the 2022 World Cup semifinals. Interestingly, they lost by the same score as in that previous match, also conceding two goals.
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