France became the first nation into the World Cup semi-finals with an emphatic 2-0 victory over Morocco on Thursday, a result that reinforced their billing as the team to beat in the 2026 competition.
Two goals in a devastating six-minute spell in the second half did the damage, with Kylian Mbappe opening the scoring before Ousmane Dembele doubled the lead. Mbappe’s strike was his eighth of the tournament, moving him level with Argentina’s Lionel Messi as top scorer, though the Frenchman leads the race for the Golden Boot on assists. Dembele now has five goals, making France only the second side in the past 50 years to have two players score five or more goals at the same World Cup – after Brazil in 2002, when Ronaldo managed eight and Rivaldo five.
“France beat Morocco 2-0 to reach World Cup semi-finals, with Mbappe and Dembele scoring.”
It was a performance that left pundits struggling for superlatives. “France are the best, most skilful, most dangerous attacking team in the tournament,” said former Scotland striker Pat Nevin on BBC Radio 5 Live. “They have more than one [threat]. They have two, three, four that are capable.”
France, who have now scored 15 and 16 goals this tournament – more than any other team – are chasing a third World Cup title, having won in 1998 and 2018. Didier Deschamps, manager since 2012, has already announced this will be his final tournament in charge. Under him, France won the 2018 World Cup, lost the 2022 final to Argentina, and fell at the final hurdle in Euro 2016 and the semi-finals of Euro 24. A win on 19 July would allow them to stake a claim as the best Les Bleus side 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,” said Patrick Vieira, who played in the 1998 final, speaking on ITV Sport.
France will now face the winner of the second quarter-final between Spain – the Euro 2024 winners – and Belgium, a match that pits two European heavyweights against each other. Given France’s form, few would bet against them. As one observer put it: “I don’t see anybody stopping the French team going to the final.”
The semi-final awaits, and the question is no longer whether France are contenders, but whether they can be stopped at all.