FIFA World Cup 2026: Mbappe stars again as France cruise into Round of 16

France booked their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 after producing a commanding display to defeat Sweden at New York New Jersey Stadium. The victory maintained Les Bleus’ flawless run in the tournament and highlighted their attacking strength, with captain Kylian Mbappe once again leading the way. Mbappe scored twice to increase his career World Cup tally to 18 goals, moving into sole possession of second place on the competition’s all-time scoring list. He now sits just one goal behind Lionel Messi, while surpassing Miroslav Klose in the standings. Bradley Barcola also found the net as France wrapped up another convincing win. France controlled proceedings from the opening whistle and created a host of opportunities during an entertaining first half. Mbappe had an early effort ruled out for offside and later struck the woodwork, while Michael Olise came close with an acrobatic overhead kick that hit the frame of the goal. The breakthrough finally arrived just before the interval. After receiving a short corner inside the box, Mbappe drove forward before firing a powerful strike into the far corner to give France a deserved lead. The French side continued to dominate after the restart. Olise provided an excellent through ball for Barcola, who calmly finished to double the advantage. Swedish goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom prevented an even heavier defeat with several important saves, including stops from Jules Kounde and Olise. Mbappe completed his brace in the 74th minute, once again finishing confidently after another well-weighted assist from Olise. France will now take on Paraguay in the Round of 16 at Philadelphia Stadium on 4 July, with Mbappe aiming to edge even closer to the World Cup scoring record.