Morocco were eliminated from the 2026 World Cup in the quarter-finals, losing 2-0 to France on Thursday, ending the Atlas Lions' dream of repeating their historic achievement in the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

Morocco withstood French pressure in the first half, with goalkeeper Yassine Bounou excelling by saving a penalty taken by Kylian Mbappé in the 28th minute, keeping the match open until the end of the first half.

But France decided the match in the second half, as Mbappé opened the scoring after an hour of play, before setting up the second goal just six minutes later, passing to Ousmane Dembélé who slotted the ball into the net with a low shot.

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With this defeat, Morocco failed to repeat the achievement of the 2022 edition, when they became the first Arab and African team to reach the World Cup semi-finals, before finishing the tournament in fourth place.

As for the French team, they continued their march towards the title and advanced to the semi-finals, where they await the winner of the match between Spain and Belgium scheduled for Friday.

France are scheduled to play the semi-final on Tuesday in Dallas, in a new attempt to reach the final and continue their quest for a third world title.