Les Bleus Advance to Semi-Finals: A Historic Campaign Takes Shape

France cruise into semi finals – France have secured their place in the semi-finals following a commanding performance against Morocco, establishing themselves as the tournament’s most formidable side. The 1998 and 2018 World Cup champions have assembled what many consider to be an exceptional squad, positioning themselves as overwhelming favorites to claim the 2026 title. Their impressive 2-0 triumph on Thursday marked them as the first nation to reach the final four, demonstrating why they remain the team to surpass this year.

While France have previously captured the European Championship on two occasions, the question now arises: has Didier Deschamps, managing his last major tournament, forged the greatest Les Bleus generation in history? Should they lift the trophy on July 19, they will have ample justification for such a claim. Former midfielder Patrick Vieira, instrumental in France’s 3-0 victory over Brazil during the 1998 final, believes this current squad stands on the precipice 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.”

A Six-Minute Masterclass

France’s victory in Boston was sealed through two goals within a mere six-minute period during the second half. Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring before Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele added a second. These strikes represented France’s 15th and 16th goals of the tournament, surpassing every other competing nation, though three quarter-final matches remain pending.

Mbappe’s goal, arriving after he had previously seen 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 legend.

Dembele has now netted five goals throughout this tournament, making France only the second team in half a century to feature two players scoring five or more goals simultaneously at a single World Cup. Brazil achieved this feat in 2002, with Ronaldo scoring eight and Rivaldo adding 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’ Final Tournament

Having managed the French national team since 2012, Deschamps has confirmed this represents his last major competition in charge. During his fourteen-year tenure, France claimed 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 overcome Belgium in their quarter-final on Friday at 20:00 BST, they will encounter France in the last four in Dallas on Tuesday at the same time. France entered this tournament ranked third in the world, trailing reigning champions Argentina and European titleholders Spain.

“Before the competition, we were all convinced that Spain would be in the semi-final or the quarter-final,” added the former Arsenal captain. “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.”

Imperious Performance and Deep Attacking Options

Former England striker Ian Wright described Deschamps’ side as “one of the most clear favourites for a World Cup tournament I have ever seen” before their encounter with Morocco. Following a dominant display in Boston, where France registered 22 attempts compared to Morocco’s mere five, Wright remained highly impressed.

“It is difficult to see the weakness,” said Wright. “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 boast considerable attacking depth. 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 provide additional firepower. Defensively, France have conceded just two goals across six matches, with one coming late in their 3-1 victory over Senegal and the other in their quarter-final encounter.