France ended Morocco’s historic FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign with a convincing 2-0 victory. The win secured Les Bleus’ place in the semi-finals. Morocco was the last African nation standing. Their inspiring run ended at Boston Stadium.
The opening half produced a fascinating duel between Kylian Mbappé and Yassine Bounou. The Morocco goalkeeper denied Mbappé from the penalty spot with a brilliant save. The Atlas Lions defended with discipline and reached half-time with the score still 0-0.
France finally broke the deadlock in the 60th minute. Mbappé made amends for his earlier miss with a superb curling finish. The goal was his eighth of the tournament. It also drew him level with Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race.
FIFA WORLD CUP: MOROCCO’S HISTORIC RUN ENDS
Just six minutes later, France struck again. Mbappé drove forward before setting up Ousmane Dembélé. The winger fired a low shot beyond Bounou to make it 2-0. The victory sent France into the semi-finals, where they will face either Spain or Belgium.
The defeat ended Morocco’s remarkable campaign. The Atlas Lions carried Africa’s hopes deeper than any other team at this year’s tournament. They once again showed their quality and resilience before bowing out to one of the favourites.
AFRICA’S WORLD CUP DREAM IS OVER
Morocco’s exit also ended Africa’s challenge at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The continent enjoyed one of its strongest tournaments. Nine of the ten African representatives reached the knockout stage. However, the dream of producing a world champion will have to wait a little longer.
The African nations were eliminated at the following stages:
- Tunisia – Group stage
- South Africa, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Ghana, DR Congo, Senegal and Cape Verde – Round of 32.
- Egypt – Round of 16.
- Morocco – Quarter-finals.
Also read: FIFA World Cup: Full quarter-final fixtures