Kylian Mbappe continued his rise among football’s greatest World Cup scorers as France produced another dominant performance to defeat Sweden and secure their place in the Round of 16.
The France captain scored twice in a commanding victory at New York New Jersey Stadium, taking his World Cup goal tally to 18 and moving into outright second place on the tournament’s all-time scoring list.
Mbappe is now only one goal behind Lionel Messi, while former Germany striker Miroslav Klose has been pushed into third place after the French superstar moved ahead with another memorable display on the biggest stage.
The victory also maintained France’s perfect start to the 2026 World Cup, with Didier Deschamps’ side showing why they remain among the favourites to lift the trophy.
France started the match with relentless attacking intensity and overwhelmed Sweden from the opening whistle.
The 1998 and 2018 champions created chance after chance, recording 15 attempts before half-time as they controlled every area of the pitch.
Mbappe had already threatened several times before finally breaking the deadlock. One effort was ruled out for offside, while another struck the woodwork, but the forward eventually found the breakthrough moments before the interval.
After receiving the ball from a short corner on the left side, Mbappe drove into the penalty area before firing a powerful strike into the far corner, giving France the reward their dominance deserved.
Sweden struggled to contain France after the restart as the pressure continued. Michael Olise played a key role in the attacking movement, creating opportunities and causing problems for the Swedish defence.
Olise provided the assist for Bradley Barcola, who finished confidently inside the box to extend France’s advantage.
Sweden goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom prevented an even heavier defeat with several important saves, denying Jules Kounde and stopping another dangerous effort from the impressive Olise.
However, France’s quality proved too much, and Mbappe added his second goal in the 74th minute. After another brilliant contribution from Olise, the France No10 calmly finished to complete his brace and continue his incredible World Cup campaign.
The win sends France into the knockout stages with confidence and momentum, while Mbappe now has another opportunity to climb even higher on the all-time scoring chart.
France will face Paraguay in the Round of 16 at Philadelphia Stadium on July 4, with Mbappe aiming to continue rewriting World Cup history.
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