With a new show from Kylian Mbappé and Michael Olise, France beat Sweden 3-0 this Tuesday in East Rutherford and qualified for the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
Didier Deschamps’s Bleus added their fourth straight victory in North America with Mbappé’s third double (45′, 74′) and a goal from Bradley Barcola (53′) at MetLife Stadium.
A great candidate for the crown, which will be awarded on July 19 at the same venue on the outskirts of New York, France will seek a place in the quarterfinals on Saturday in Philadelphia against Paraguay, emboldened after eliminating Germany.
With the goal that broke down the resistance of the Scandinavians, coached by the British Graham Potter, Mbappé equaled Lionel Messi (6 goals) as the top scorer in North America.
In a relentless scoring career, the Real Madrid star is now just one goal away from reaching the Albiceleste captain (19) as the all-time top scorer in football’s biggest event.
The celebration against the Swedes allowed him to displace the German Miroslav Klose (16 goals), already retired from football, to third place in the all-time scoring table in the World Cup.
By completing a partnership between Ousmane Dembélé and Olise, the Cup’s top assist scorer with five assists on goals, Mbappé opened the scoring and also led, along with his teammates, to an emotional moment at MetLife Stadium.
After the 1-0 score, the entire squad ran to hug coach Didier Deschamps, whose mother died last week in France.
