Day 30: France march on, Spain-Belgium waits

France are the first team into the 2026 World Cup semi-finals: 2-0 over Morocco, with Kylian Mbappe scoring on 60' and Ousmane Dembele adding the second six minutes later. 1

The hinge was Mbappe's own reset. He missed a first-half penalty saved by Yassine Bounou, then came back with the opener and the assist for Dembele. 2

The control was not subtle: ESPN logged France ahead 21-4 in shots and 8-1 in shots on target, while the win put France on track for a third straight World Cup final appearance if they clear the semi-final. 1

The rest of the quarter-final board is still opening up: Spain vs Belgium decides France's semi-final opponent, followed by Norway vs England and Argentina vs Switzerland on July 11 ET. 3

The verified X pulse came straight from the tournament account: France's third straight semi-final, Mbappe as Player of the Match, and the Mbappe-Dembele pairing driving the night. 456