Ousmane Dembele highlighted France’s remarkable consistency on the global stage after Les Bleus booked their place in yet another World Cup semi-final, stressing that the achievement reflects years of sustained success at the highest level.
The French forward described progression to the last four as a special milestone, underlining that this marks the third consecutive World Cup in which France have reached the semi-finals.
“I am very happy,” Dembele said. “We know that reaching a World Cup semi-final is something exceptional. It is the third in a row for this generation with the national team, and we are really proud of that.”
France secured their place in the semi-finals with a 2-0 win over Morocco, becoming the first team to advance to the final four of the 2026 World Cup. Despite the controlled nature of the victory, Dembele admitted the match demanded full focus throughout.
“We knew it would be a very difficult game because Morocco have quality players,” he said. “We stayed concentrated, even after key moments in the match, and managed to do what was needed to qualify.”
The Paris Saint-Germain winger, a World Cup winner in 2018 and runner-up in 2022, also acknowledged the increasing difficulty of each knockout round as the tournament progresses.
“At this stage, every opponent is strong,” he explained. “These are players who compete at the highest level in Europe. Morocco are a top team and they showed that again here.”
France will now face either Spain or Belgium in the semi-finals, with Dembele insisting the team has no preference regarding their next opponent.
“We don’t care who we face,” he said. “Both teams are strong and it will be very difficult. The important thing is that we are in the semi-finals again.”
