France beat Morocco 2-0 to storm into a historic third straight semi-final. Can they make it three finals in a row?
Kylian Mbappe broke the deadlock after following up his own saved penalty
France continued their march towards another World Cup title with a composed 2-0 win over Morocco in Boston on Thursday, becoming the first team to book a place in the 2026 semifinals.
In doing so, Les Bleus also achieved a rare milestone. They are only the third men's national team to reach the semifinals at three consecutive FIFA World Cups, joining Germany (2002–2014) and Brazil (1994–2002).
Having won the tournament in 1998 and 2018 before finishing runners-up in 2022, France arrived in 2026 among the favourites once again. With manager Didier Deschamps set to step down after the tournament, another deep World Cup run has reignited discussions about where this squad ranks among the country's greatest.
Former France midfielder Patrick Vieira believes the current generation has all the ingredients to be remembered as one of the nation's finest.
"We're talking about a generation of players, and when you look at the squad and the attacking players, it is maybe one of the best," Vieira said on ITV Sport, as quoted by the BBC. "It is so unbelievable."
Mbappe and Dembele lead France's attack
France's victory was sealed in the second half. Kylian Mbappe broke the deadlock after following up his own saved penalty, before Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele doubled the lead just six minutes later.
The goals took France's tally to 16 for the tournament, the highest of any team remaining in the competition.
Mbappe is now level with Argentina's Lionel Messi on eight goals in the race for the Golden Boot, but currently leads the standings thanks to a superior assist count. Dembele, meanwhile, scored his fifth goal of the tournament.
The pair have also entered the record books. France are only the second team in the last 50 years to have two players score at least five goals in the same World Cup, matching Brazil's Ronaldo and Rivaldo in 2002.
Former Scotland striker Pat Nevin praised the depth of France's attacking options while speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live.
"France are the best, most skilful, most dangerous attacking team in the tournament. They don't just have one threat. They have two, three, four that are capable."
Two wins away from another title
Deschamps has overseen one of the most successful periods in French football, guiding the team to the 2018 World Cup title, the 2022 World Cup final and the Euro 2016 final. With his departure set for after this tournament, France are now just two victories away from giving him another World Cup triumph.
If Spain defeat Belgium in Friday's quarter-final, they will face France in a highly anticipated semifinal in Dallas next Tuesday.
Despite Spain entering the tournament ranked one place above France and yet to concede a goal, Vieira believes Les Bleus have another level to reach.
"France are a better team today than they were four years ago, but I don't think Spain are. I don't see anybody stopping the French team going to the final."
