France strengthened their status as favourites to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating Morocco 2-0 on Thursday to become the first team to book a place in the semi-finals.
The two-time world champions produced another commanding display in Boston, scoring twice in a six-minute spell in the second half to end Morocco’s impressive campaign.
Captain Kylian Mbappé, who had earlier seen a first-half penalty saved, broke the deadlock before Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé doubled France’s advantage moments later.
The victory keeps alive France coach Didier Deschamps’ hopes of ending his 14-year tenure with another World Cup title. Deschamps, who is stepping down after the tournament, has already guided Les Bleus to World Cup glory in 2018 and is seeking to cement his legacy with a second triumph as manager.
Former France midfielder Patrick Vieira, a member of the country’s 1998 World Cup-winning team, believes the current squad ranks among the nation’s greatest ever.
“We’re talking about a generation of players and when you look at the squad and the attacking players, it is maybe one of the best because you have so many players. It is so unbelievable,” Vieira said on ITV Sport.
France have now scored 16 goals in the tournament—the highest tally of any team so far—underlining their attacking dominance as they chase a third World Cup crown.
Mbappé’s strike was his eighth of the competition, drawing him level with Argentina captain Lionel Messi as the tournament’s joint-leading scorer. However, the French forward currently leads the race for the Golden Boot, having provided more assists than the Argentine.
Attention now shifts to Friday’s remaining quarter-final fixtures, with one of the most anticipated ties seeing Belgium face Spain later in the day as the race for the World Cup title intensifies.
