Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele were on target as France surged past Morocco 2-0 to book their place in the World Cup semi-finals on Thursday (July 9, 2026).

Mbappe curled in his eighth goal of the tournament on 60 minutes before Dembele doubled Les Bleus’ lead six minutes later to settle a clinical victory at the Gillette Stadium outside Boston.

The win sends the 2018 champions into a last-four showdown against either Spain or Belgium in Arlington, Texas on Tuesday (July 6, 2026).

African champions Morocco had been tipped to pose a serious threat to France’s hopes of reaching a third consecutive World Cup final.

But Didier Deschamps’ men were always in control against a limited Morocco side who failed to register a single shot on goal until an 83rd-minute free-kick by Azzedine Ounahi was parried away by France goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

France, though, struggled to find a breakthrough and missed the opportunity to take the lead on 28 minutes when Mbappe saw a penalty saved by Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

Mbappe had won the penalty after being brought down by Noussair Mazraoui but was forced to wait several minutes before being allowed to take the kick after a protracted VAR check.

Morocco managed to hold out to half-time but it was always only a matter of time before France’s relentless pressure paid off.

The breakthrough came on the hour mark, with Mbappe bending a brilliant right-foot shot past Bounou from the edge of the area.

Paris Saint-Germain star Dembele made the game safe in the 66th minute, striding forward menacingly from midfield before steering a low finish into the bottom corner.

France now await the winner of Friday’s quarter-final in Los Angeles between European champions Spain and Belgium.

Referee chief hits back

Spain, who have not conceded a single goal so far, eliminated Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the last 16 and will fancy their chances of overcoming Belgium, who thrashed United States 4-1 to reach the last eight.

On the other side of the draw, holders Argentina face Switzerland in Kansas City on Saturday after staggering into the quarter-finals.

The South Americans, aiming to become the first back-to-back champions since Brazil in 1962, advanced to the quarter-finals after an incredible escape against Egypt in the previous round, recovering from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2.

The victory saw a string of refereeing decisions go in Argentina’s favour, prompting claims from Egypt coach Hossam Hassan that World Cup referees were unfairly favouring the South Americans due to “external” pressure.

Those claims were shot down by FIFA referees chief Pierluigi Collina on Thursday.

“Nobody can question the integrity of the FIFA World Cup match officials,” Collina said.

“Nobody can claim that FIFA Refereeing can be influenced by anyone …”

The winner of the Argentina-Switzerland clash will take on either Norway or England, who clash in Miami on Saturday.

England’s defence faces the unenviable task of having to contain Norway’s irrepressible striker Erling Haaland, who has been in blistering form on his team’s run to the last eight.

A relaxed Haaland said Thursday the pressure would be on England when the teams meet at the Hard Rock Stadium.

“I think there’s some clear favourites out there, England’s one of them,” Haaland told reporters.

“I think all of you should put every single pressure on the English lads.”

In Boston, a city built by successive waves of migration and layered loyalties, France’s World Cup quarterfinal against Morocco will be more than a meeting of two sides. It is a rematch, a footballing test and a reunion of friends, of shared histories and of players whose lives have been shaped by both sides of the Mediterranean.

Four years ago in Qatar, France ended Morocco’s remarkable run in the semifinals. Thursday’s meeting at the Boston Stadium carries the memory of that night, but Morocco arrives with a different status now.

It is no longer merely the tournament’s surprise package or the first African side to reach the last four, as it has grown into its own ambition of giving the continent its first World Cup crown.

The tie is also threaded with deep personal and cultural overlap. Six members of Morocco’s squad were born in France, and five play their club football there, while 21 players of Les Bleus are of African or mixed heritage origin. Both set of players are linked by migration, colonial history, language and the steady traffic of players between academies and leagues.

Hakimi and Mbappe

The most visible expression of that intimacy may come in the duel between Kylian Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi. The pair grew close at Paris Saint-Germain between 2021 and 2024, with Hakimi later recalling how Mbappe helped him settle in France. But friendship has its limits in a World Cup quarterfinal. “He’s not my buddy on the pitch,” Hakimi said this week. For France, the match may also prove its first complete football examination of the tournament.

Didier Deschamps’ side has reached the last eight with a blend of control and attacking force, but its 1-0 win over Paraguay in the round of 16 was an uncomfortable one. Paraguay slowed the game, crowded central spaces and tried to drag France away from rhythm before Mbappe’s penalty settled a bad-tempered afternoon.

Deschamps knows Morocco will ask different and harder questions. “Morocco’s profile is not the one of Paraguay,” he said. “We met them four years ago in the semifinals. They played the AFCON final. They have top individuals. They are not here to play. They are here to win. We have to be ready and perform and deliver against this great team.”

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Mohamed Ouahbi’s Morocco can defend with discipline, but it is not built only to suffer. It has enough technical quality to keep the ball, enough pace to break with force and enough belief to treat this as a winnable tie rather than a grand occasion. In Hakimi and Brahim Diaz it has two of the most dangerous attacking outlets left in the competition, though Ismael Saibari, scorer of three goals, remains in doubt after suffering a thigh injury against Canada.

France still has one of the tournament’s most dangerous attacking lines in Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise, with the likes of Bradley Barcola in the bench. Mbappe’s penalty against Paraguay took him to seven goals for the tournament, and the Real Madrid forward will look to add a few more as he wages a personal battle for the golden boot with Messi and Haaland.

The quarterfinal might reveal more about France’s structure than stardust. Morocco is organised enough to close spaces, athletic enough to press and brave enough to believe that this tie can be played on its own terms.

For France, a place in a third consecutive World Cup semifinal is at stake, while Morocco will try to turn a match shaped by friendship and shared heritage into the result that rewrites an old World Cup wound.