France have secured a place in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating Morocco 2-0 in their quarter-final clash in Boston, United States, on Thursday.

Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé scored in the second half as the defending 2018 champions overcame a determined Moroccan side to book a place in the last four.

France dominated possession and created several chances throughout the match, but were repeatedly frustrated by Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who produced a series of impressive saves.

Les Bleus eventually broke the deadlock on the hour mark when Mbappé curled a brilliant right-footed effort past Bounou from the edge of the box.

Dembélé then sealed the victory in the 66th minute after driving forward from midfield before placing a low finish into the bottom corner.

Morocco had hoped to become the first African side to reach a World Cup final after a historic run, but struggled to threaten the French defence. The Atlas Lions failed to record a shot on target until the 83rd minute when Azzedine Ounahi’s free-kick was pushed away by France goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

France had earlier missed an opportunity to take the lead in the first half when Mbappé’s penalty was saved by Bounou after the forward was fouled by Noussair Mazraoui. The spot-kick was delayed for several minutes due to a lengthy VAR review.

The victory sends Didier Deschamps’ side into a semi-final meeting with either Spain or Belgium in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday.

Spain, who are yet to concede a goal in the tournament, will face Belgium in Friday’s quarter-final in Los Angeles, while the other side of the draw sees defending champions Argentina take on Switzerland on Saturday.

Argentina reached the quarter-finals after a dramatic 3-2 comeback win over Egypt, a result that sparked controversy over refereeing decisions. However, FIFA referees chief Pierluigi Collina dismissed suggestions that match officials had favoured the South American champions.

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

Meanwhile, England will face Norway in Miami on Saturday, with Norwegian striker Erling Haaland expected to be a major threat after an impressive tournament run.

Haaland said the pressure would be on England ahead of the quarter-final clash, describing Gareth Southgate’s side as one of the favourites to win the competition.