France Reaches World Cup Semis For Third Straight Time
France advanced to the World Cup semifinals for the third consecutive tournament, defeating Morocco 2-0 in the quarterfinals with goals from Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé on July 9.
French head coach Didier Deschamps was pleased with France's advancement to the World Cup semi-finals for the third consecutive time, while Morocco's head coach Mohamed Walid Regragui acknowledged disappointment but expressed confidence in his team's bright future.
In the 2026 World Cup quarter-final on July 9, France, the defending runner-up, defeated Morocco 2-0. Goals came from Kylian Mbappé in the 60th minute and Ousmane Dembélé in the 66th minute. Mbappé also missed a penalty kick in the 28th minute.
France has now reached the World Cup semi-finals three consecutive times, following their 2018 world championship and 2022 runner-up finish. They await the winner of the Spain-Belgium match scheduled for July 14.
Deschamps stated: "This is our third consecutive World Cup semi-final appearance, which is certainly a positive thing. Of course, it's because I have exceptional players; without them we couldn't have reached this point. We're now where we want to be. After this, we'll rest and see who our next opponent will be."
Regragui said: "Our team's future will be bright if everything continues in this direction. This result is certainly disappointing. We did everything we could, but we faced a very strong opponent. We will continue working for the future."