France ended Morocco’s historic World Cup campaign Thursday with a 2-0 victory in the quarterfinals, knocking out the last African team and keeping the Atlas Lions from reaching a second straight semifinal.
The match at Gillette Stadium was a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semifinal, which France also won 2-0 on its way to the final.
Kylian Mbappe scored once and set up another as France pulled away in the second half. The result sends the 2018 champions into the semifinals, where they will face the winner of Friday’s Belgium-Spain match.
Morocco entered the game with momentum after a 3-0 Round of 16 win over Canada, and as the first African nation to qualify for the 2026 tournament following a 5-0 rout of Niger in qualifying. Coach Mohamed Ouahbi said before kickoff that his team would “do everything possible to win,” but was dealt a blow when midfielder Ismael Saibari was ruled out with a hamstring injury.
Despite organized defending, Morocco struggled to create clear chances against a France side that controlled possession and capitalised late.
The loss means Africa’s representation at the 2026 World Cup is over. Three other African nations reached the knockout stage but also exited early. Egypt led Argentina 2-0 before losing 3-2. Senegal surrendered a 2-0 lead to fall 3-2 to Belgium, and DR Congo was eliminated in the Round of 32.
Still, Morocco’s back-to-back quarterfinal appearances mark a first for an African team. The Atlas Lions made history in Qatar in 2022 by becoming the first African nation to reach the World Cup semifinals, finishing fourth overall — the best result by an African or Arab country.
That run included wins over Spain, Portugal and Belgium, and it raised expectations across the continent that an African team could finally break into the final four.
“Reaching the quarterfinals again shows we belong at this level,” Ouahbi said after the match. “But we must learn to finish games against the very best.”
Other African bests at the World Cup include quarterfinal runs by Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010.
France, meanwhile, remains on course for a third World Cup title, powered by Mbappe, who now leads the 2026 tournament with 7 goals.