The world vice-champion France defeated Sweden 3-0 in their first knockout match of the 1/16 finals of the 2026 World Cup. The match was played in front of 80,663 spectators at the “MetLife Stadium“ stadium in New Jersey, USA. With this triumph, Didier Deschamps' selection moves forward in the tournament, where they will face Paraguay in the round of 16.
Key moments of the match
Mbappe's historic achievements
France captain Kylian Mbappe became the big star of the evening and wrote his name in the history of world finals. With his two goals against the Scandinavians, he now has 10 goals in the knockout stages of World Cups, improving the previous record of Brazilian Leonidas and Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo.
In addition, the Real Madrid striker now has a total of 18 goals in World Cups, equaling Lionel Messi at the top of the scorer list for the 2026 World Cup – both lead with 6 goals each.
Total French domination
The Swedish team led by Graham Potter, in whose ranks the names of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gökeres started the match motivated, but was quickly broken by the French press. In the first half, France hit two posts through Mbappe and Oliseh, and one goal was canceled due to offside. The statistics at the end of the match confirmed the superiority of the “roosters“ with 61% ball possession and expected goals (xG) of 3.17 against only 0.67 for Sweden.
France (4-2-3-1): Didier Deschamps
Goalkeeper: Mike Menian Defenders:Jul Kunde (replaced from Malo Gusto in 77'), Dayo Upamecano, William Saliba, Luca Dean (replaced from Theo Hernandez in 79') Опорни халфове: Aurélien Tchouaméni, Adrien Rabiot Ofanzivny midfielders:Ousmane Dembele (replaced from Désiré Douet in 76'), Michael Olise (replaced from Ryan Cherki in 85'), Bradley Barcola Forward:Kylian Mbape (Captain; replaced by Jean-Philippe Mateta in 85') [1, 2, 3, 4]Sweden (3-4-2-1): Graeme Potar
Goalkeeper:Jacob Videl Zeterstroem Defenders: Viktor Lindelof (Captain), Gustaf Lagerbielke, Gabriel Gudmundsson Half line:Eliot Strode (replaced from Taha Ali in 66'), Lucas Bergwall (replaced from Besfort Zeneli in 66'), Yasin Ayari (replaced by Benjamin Nygren in 82'), Daniel Svenson (replaced by Mathias Svanberg in 82') Ofanzivni krila:Antani Elanga, Alexander Isak (replaced by Gustaf Nilsson in 89') Center forward: Victor Goqueres
Next opponent: Paraguay 🇵🇾
In the round of 16, France faces the absolute sensation of the tournament so far - the team of Paraguay. The South Americans secured a place in the Top 16 after pulling off one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history, eliminating Germany in a dramatic penalty shootout in the last 16. [1, 2, 3]
The match between France and Paraguay will be played on July 4, 2026 at “Philadelphia Stadium“ in Philadelphia. The French enter the match as absolute favorites, but Didier Deschamps has already warned his players not to underestimate the South American “executioner of favorites“.
Source: bTV Sport and FIFA.