France Advances To World Cup Semis, Beats Morocco 2-0
France advanced to the World Cup semifinals with a 2-0 quarterfinal victory over Morocco on July 10, with Kylian Mbappé scoring his record-breaking 20th tournament goal in the 60th minute.
France controlled much of the first half against Morocco but could not find the breakthrough, finally earning a 2-0 victory in the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals on July 10 at Gillette Stadium in Boston, Massachusetts. France came into the match after narrowly beating Paraguay 1-0 in the round of 16, while Morocco arrived in devastating form, crushing Canada 3-0. Despite dominating possession and creating 13 chances in the first 45 minutes, France could not capitalize; Kylian Mbappé's penalty kick was saved and the half ended scoreless.
In the second half, France accelerated their attack. In the 60th minute, Mbappé finally broke through, scoring to level Lionel Messi's record of eight World Cup goals and extending his own tally to 20 tournament goals—the all-time record. Just six minutes later, Ousmane Dembélé added a second goal, putting France up 2-0. Though Morocco attempted to mount a comeback, their attacking play lacked sufficient bite, and France held on for the victory.
France advances to face the winner of the Spain versus Belgium quarterfinal on July 15 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
