Mbappé's brace powers France past Sweden 3-0 into World Cup last 16

Mbappé breaks through before the break

France captain Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring in the 45th minute with a curling finish from a tight angle after a through ball from Michael Olise, sprinting directly to embrace coach Didier Deschamps on the touchline. The entire squad quickly surrounded the coach, who had returned to the team days earlier after attending his mother's funeral, in a display of unity. Sweden had held firm for most of the half but could not contain Mbappé's brilliance as the clock ticked toward the interval.

Kylian knows how to defend. He scores goals too—more than anyone else. I told you from day one: he's on a mission. Even in the fitness drills, he was finishing first.

Second-half barrage seals Sweden's fate

France doubled the lead eight minutes after the restart when Bradley Barcola finished from close range, and Mbappé added his second of the night in the 74th minute, capping a sweeping move with a precise low shot. The goal was his third brace in four matches and his tenth career World Cup knockout round goal, surpassing the previous record of eight held by Brazilian icons Leonidas and Ronaldo. Deschamps bowed to his star as Mbappé was substituted in the 85th minute.

We had to be perfect, and even if we were, I'm not sure that would have been enough, if I'm brutally honest, because the opponent was at a high level.

Sweden's improbable dream meets reality

A day after Paraguay stunned Germany on penalties, Sweden had allowed themselves to imagine a similar upset. But France's relentless pressure and tactical control left the Scandinavians with few openings. Striker Alexander Isak and winger Anthony Elanga managed sporadic threats, yet goalkeeper Mike Maignan was rarely tested. Sweden captain Victor Lindelof admitted the gulf in quality soon became overwhelming.

If we had got in 0-0 at the break, it would have been nice. They get goals pretty quickly in the second half, and then it gets even harder. We're facing a very good team, but we wanted to have more of the game.

Mbappé's record-chasing campaign

Mbappé's six goals in the tournament equaled Lionel Messi's tally, and his 18 World Cup goals in 18 appearances left him one shy of Messi's all-time mark. The Real Madrid forward has also supplied two assists, underlining his role as France's offensive fulcrum. Coach Deschamps praised his growth as captain, noting that the public image of Mbappé as an individualist rarely reflects the unifying presence he has become within the squad.

Les Bleus march on with flawless form

France have won all four matches at the 2026 World Cup, scoring 10 goals and conceding none in the group stage before the 3-0 win over Sweden. They will face Paraguay in the round of 16, with a potential quarter-final against the winner of England versus Uruguay. The victory evoked memories of the 1998 side that also completed a perfect group stage en route to lifting the trophy on home soil, a parallel not lost on a team determined to reclaim the crown they surrendered in Qatar four years earlier.