Les Bleus Storm Into Semi-Finals With Dominant Display
France cruise into semi finals – France have secured their place in the semi-finals following a commanding performance against Morocco, establishing themselves as the team to surpass in this year’s tournament. The nation, which claimed World Cup glory in both 1998 and 2018, has assembled yet another remarkable squad and now stands as the overwhelming favorite to capture the 2026 title. Their impressive 2-0 triumph on Thursday made them the first country to reach the final four of the competition.
While France has previously secured the European Championship on two occasions, the question remains whether Didier Deschamps has crafted the finest Les Bleus side in history during what will be his concluding tournament as manager. Should the team lift the trophy on July 19, they will have ample reason to make that assertion. Former midfielder Patrick Vieira, who featured in the 3-0 victory over Brazil during the 1998 final, believes this current generation stands on the threshold of greatness.
“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, because you have so many players – it is so unbelievable.”
The Boston victory featured two goals within a six-minute period during the second half. Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring before Ballon d’Or recipient Ousmane Dembele added a second. These strikes represented France’s fifteenth and sixteenth goals in the tournament, surpassing every other nation, though three quarter-final matches remain pending.
Mbappe’s goal, which arrived after he had a first-half penalty saved, marked his eighth of the competition. This achievement places him level with Argentina’s Lionel Messi as the tournament’s leading scorer. However, Mbappe currently holds the advantage in the Golden Boot race due to his superior assist tally compared to the Argentine star. Dembele has now netted five goals in this edition, making France only the second team in half a century to feature two players with five or more goals simultaneously, following Brazil’s 2002 campaign where Ronaldo scored eight and Rivaldo added five.
“France are the best, most skilful, most dangerous attacking team in the tournament,” said former Scotland striker Pat Nevin on BBC Radio 5 Live. “They have more than one [threat]. They have two, three, four that are capable.”
Deschamps has led the French national team since 2012 and has confirmed this represents his final tournament in charge. During his fourteen-year tenure, France captured the 2018 World Cup title and suffered a defeat to Argentina in the 2022 final. The Les Bleus also fell to Portugal in the 2016 European Championship final and were eliminated 2-1 by Spain in the Euro 24 semi-finals.
If Spain defeats Belgium in their quarter-final on Friday at 20:00 BST, they will encounter France in the last four in Dallas on Tuesday at 20:00 BST. France entered this tournament ranked third in the world, trailing reigning champions Argentina at the summit and current European titleholders Spain in second position. Spain began their campaign with a scoreless draw against Cape Verde but has advanced to the quarter-finals without conceding a single goal.
Vieira anticipates that Deschamps will lead France to a third consecutive final appearance. “Before the competition, we were all convinced that Spain would be in the semi-final or the quarter-final,” the former Arsenal captain noted. “I think France will not have any kind of issues playing against them. France are a better team today than they were four years ago, but I don’t think Spain are a better team today than they were four years ago. I don’t see anybody stopping the French team going to the final.”
Before facing Morocco, former England striker Ian Wright described Deschamps’ side as “one of the most clear favourites for a World Cup tournament I have ever seen.” Following their dominant performance in Boston, where France recorded 22 attempts compared to Morocco’s mere five, with the Moroccan side registering only one shot on target in the 83rd minute, Wright remained highly impressed. “It is difficult to see the weakness,” Wright observed. “If Spain get through they have the quality to maybe pass through them and maybe the pace of Lamine Yamal to try and punish them, but France look imperious. Then you have got individual brilliance.”
Beyond Mbappe and Dembele, France possesses numerous additional attacking threats within their squad. Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise, Paris St-Germain duo Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue, Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki, and Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta all offer exciting possibilities. Defensively, France has conceded just two goals across six matches—a late goal in their 3-1 victory over Senegal and one additional concession in their fourth match.
