FIFA 2026: Mbappe scores twice as France cruise past Sweden to reach last 16

EAST RUTHERFORD: Kylian Mbappé scored twice as France eased to a 3-0 victory over Sweden on Tuesday, securing a place in the World Cup last 16 and continuing his prolific run at the tournament.

The French forward struck either side of half-time before Bradley Barcola added a third, while Michael Olise provided two assists in an impressive team display.

Mbappe’s brace took his World Cup tally to 18 career goals, leaving him one behind Lionel Messi on the tournament’s all-time scoring list. His fifth and sixth goals of this year’s competition also drew him level with Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.

The 27-year-old celebrated his opener by embracing France coach Didier Deschamps on the touchline after the manager recently returned to the squad following the death of his mother. Mbappe later received a standing ovation when he was substituted in the 85th minute, acknowledging supporters by raising his arms to the crowd.

“I wanted to enjoy this World Cup to the fullest,” Mbappe said after the match. “When I was younger, I was focused only on performing. Now I believe I can do both, play well and enjoy the experience.”

He added that while he was pleased with his two goals, France’s collective performance mattered more.

“I’m happy, but that’s not the most important thing today. We continued to deliver great performances,” he said.

France dominated from the opening whistle but had to wait until first-half stoppage time to break the deadlock after Mbappe and Olise both struck the woodwork and Sweden goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström made several important saves.

The breakthrough came in the 45th minute when Olise and Ousmane Dembélé worked a short corner before Mbappe cut inside and fired past Widell Zetterstrom. Barcola doubled the lead eight minutes into the second half, finishing calmly after running onto Olise’s perfectly weighted through ball.

Mbappe completed the scoring in the 74th minute, latching onto another incisive pass from Olise before producing a finish similar to his first goal.

France will next face Paraguay in the last 16 after Paraguay stunned four-time champions Germany on penalties following a 1-1 draw. Meanwhile, Sweden’s tournament came to an end despite reaching the knockout stage for the first time since the delayed 2020 European Championship. Manager Graham Potter admitted his side had been outclassed.

“We had to be perfect, and even if we were, I’m not sure it would have been enough because the opponent was of such a high level,” Potter said.