Morocco’s 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign came to an end with a 2-0 quarterfinal defeat to France, as the Atlas Lions failed to replicate the performances that had propelled them into the tournament’s final eight.
The statistics highlight France’s dominance, particularly during the first half, when Morocco struggled to progress the ball and create meaningful opportunities.
Morocco under pressure early
The Atlas Lions found it difficult to play out from the back and were forced into 26 long passes in the opening half, compared with France’s 14, according to Opta Analyst.
Morocco did not register a shot until stoppage time in the first half, while France managed four efforts on target before the break.
Despite the pressure, goalkeeper Yassine Bounou kept Morocco in the contest with five crucial saves, including a penalty stop after Kylian Mbappé was awarded a spot kick in the 25th minute.
Following a VAR review that lasted more than three minutes, Bounou dived low to his right to deny the French captain.
France dominate key battles
France controlled the aerial duels throughout the match, winning all six contested headers in the first half while Morocco failed to win any.
The Blues also doubled Morocco’s penalty-area entries before halftime, recording 14 compared with seven for the Atlas Lions.
France proved more efficient out wide as well, completing four of six crosses for a success rate of 66.7%, while Morocco failed to connect with any of its four attempts.
The disparity was even clearer in front of goal. France attempted 13 shots in the opening 45 minutes and generated an expected goals (xG) value of 1.91. Morocco, by contrast, managed a single shot and produced an xG of just 0.04.
Improved possession, limited threat
Morocco enjoyed more possession after the interval, controlling 53% of the ball in the second half, but struggled to convert that dominance into clear opportunities.
The Atlas Lions produced only one shot on target and accumulated an xG of 0.1 during the second period.
They also continued to lose possession in dangerous areas, surrendering the ball 14 times in their own half and 16 times in midfield.
France maintained its superiority in aerial contests, winning 85.7% of second-half duels compared with Morocco’s 14.3%.
Still, the Atlas Lions showed greater attacking intent after the break, recording 14 penalty-area entries compared with France’s nine and delivering nine crosses, although only two found their target.
Mbappé and Dembélé seal victory
France ultimately secured a 2-0 victory through goals from Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé.
Mbappé opened the scoring in the 60th minute, netting his eighth goal of the tournament and the 20th World Cup goal of his career.
The 2025 Ballon d’Or winner Dembélé doubled France’s advantage six minutes later, ending Morocco’s hopes of reaching a second consecutive World Cup semifinal.
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