NEW DELHI: France continued their good run at the FIFA World Cup 2026 by beating Sweden 3-0 in the Round of 32 and creating a piece of tournament history.Didier Deschamps’ side became the first team in: FIFA World Cup history of scoring three or more goals in five consecutive games. FIFA confirmed the success of an X post after France’s comfortable win. “France became the first team in @FIFAWorldCup history to score three or more goals in five consecutive matches,” FIFA said.
Mbappe shines again
Kylian Mbappe Once again leading from the front, scoring twice as France cruised into the Round of 16. Bradley Barcola also found the net as Les Bleus maintained their perfect record at the tournament.With his two goals, Mbappe took his FIFA World Cup tally to 18 goals. He moved into second place on the all-time World Cup scoring list, two ahead of Miroslav Klose and just one behind. Lionel Messi.France dominated much of the first half and finally broke the deadlock when Mbappe dribbled into the penalty area before firing into the corner.Sweden had little chance to come back after the break. Michael Olise set up Barcola for France’s second goal before providing another assist for Mbappe, who scored his second of the match and reached 10 goals in World Cup knockout games.
Deschamps is proud of his team’s effort
France coach Didier Deschamps praised his players after another dominant performance.“A lot of pride and a lot of emotion. Before this game, we saw in the other Round of 32 games that no game was easy, ours included, even though we had a little cushion. We could have been more efficient in the first half, but we have to appreciate what we achieved,” said Deschamps.
Another knockout challenge awaits
France has now reached the Round of 16 for the seventh time in their history (1986, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026). Only Brazil have a longer streak of appearances at this stage, while France’s run underlines their consistency on the biggest stage.France will next face Paraguay in Philadelphia on July 5. Looking ahead to the next challenge, Deschamps said. “There is another match in four days, and that is what we are here for. We will enjoy what we are doing now without looking ahead, if we are not quickly brought back to earth. We must maintain the same goal, the same determination for the next stage against Paraguay, a great country in South America, very strong and talented. They are not good here by chance. We will take the time to enjoy it before preparing for this next stage”.