World Cup 2026: France Beats Morocco, Spain Edges Belgium

France and Spain advanced to the 2026 World Cup semifinals after quarterfinal wins on July 9 and July 10. France beat Morocco 2-0 and Spain beat Belgium 2-1, and the two teams will now meet each other in the semifinals.

France 2, Morocco 0

In the quarterfinal played July 9, France beat Morocco 2-0. Kylian Mbappe scored after having a first-half penalty saved, and Ousmane Dembele added the second goal. The 2-0 result sent France through to the semifinals.

Spain 2, Belgium 1

In the quarterfinal played July 10, Spain beat Belgium 2-1. Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring and Charles De Ketelaere equalized for Belgium at 1-1. Mikel Merino scored the winner in the 88th minute, and the 2-1 result sent Spain into the semifinals alongside France.

Goals recap

France's goals in the 2-0 win over Morocco came from Mbappe and Dembele, with Mbappe having also seen a first-half penalty saved. In the Spain-Belgium match, Fabian Ruiz gave Spain the lead, De Ketelaere leveled at 1-1, and Merino restored Spain's advantage in the 88th minute for the 2-1 final score. France advanced by a two-goal margin and Spain by a one-goal margin, and both reached the last four.

Semifinal and remaining fixtures

France reached the semifinals with its 2-0 win over Morocco on July 9, and Spain followed with its 2-1 win over Belgium on July 10. With both results confirmed, France and Spain will face each other in the semifinals. Two further quarterfinals were scheduled for July 11: Norway versus England, and Argentina versus Switzerland.