France ended Africa’s quest for a first FIFA World Cup title after defeating Morocco 2-0 in the first quarter-final of the 2026 tournament at Boston Stadium.
Les Bleus were the better side throughout the encounter, dominating possession and creating the clearer scoring opportunities in both halves.
Didier Deschamps’ men started brightly but were repeatedly denied by Morocco’s resolute defence and goalkeeper. Kylian Mbappé also missed a golden opportunity to give France the lead when his penalty, awarded after he was fouled inside the box, was saved by the Moroccan goalkeeper.
After a goalless first half, the 2022 World Cup runners-up intensified the pressure and finally broke the deadlock in the 60th minute. Mbappé redeemed himself by finishing brilliantly to score France’s opening goal.
The strike took the Real Madrid forward level with Argentina captain Lionel Messi on eight goals in the tournament’s scoring chart.
France doubled their advantage six minutes later when Ousmane Dembélé found the back of the net to put the result beyond Morocco’s reach.
The victory sends the two-time world champions into the semi-finals, where they will face the winner of the quarter-final between Spain and Belgium. For Morocco, the defeat ended their hopes of reaching a second consecutive World Cup semi-final after their historic run at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
