France Repeats 2022 Classic, 2-0 Win Over Morocco: Mbappé & Dembélé End All African World Cup Hopes

The opening quarter-final clash of the 2026 World Cup took place at Boston Stadium, where France locked in a 2-0 victory over Morocco and secured the first semi-final ticket of the tournament.

Four years ago, Morocco made history as the very first African squad to advance to the World Cup semi-finals, yet they fell to France by a two-goal margin. This rematch delivered an identical result, wiping out all African teams from this World Cup campaign.

The two sides met for the seventh time on international stages. France remains unbeaten against Morocco across all encounters, with four wins and two draws recorded so far.

Plenty of highlights unfolded in the first half. In the 25th minute, Mbappé was brought down inside the penalty box to earn a spot kick, but Morocco’s keeper Bounou pulled off a brilliant save. This stop marked his 4th penalty save in World Cup history, tying the record for most penalty stops by a single tournament goalkeeper. Before halftime, Morocco earned a dangerous free kick taken by Achraf Hakimi, though his strike drifted wide. France dominated possession and shots before the break, firing off 13 attempts with 3 on target, while Morocco only managed one single shot, leaving the score deadlocked at 0-0.

After the restart, France broke the deadlock in the 60th minute. Mbappé curled a precise shot into the far corner, out of Bounou’s reach. This goal lifted his tournament tally to 8 goals, drawing level with Messi atop the World Cup scoring leaderboard.

Just six minutes later, Ousmane Dembélé extended France’s lead with a sharp low strike, pushing the score to 2-0. No further goals arrived before full time. France marches on to the semi-finals, while Morocco and all other African nations exit the 2026 World Cup.