Kylian Mbappe scored twice as France defeated Sweden 3-0 to reach the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16. Norway and Mexico also advanced, with Mbappe closing in on Lionel Messi’s World Cup scoring record
Mbappe Leads France Into World Cup Round of 16 as Norway, Mexico Advance
France, Norway and Mexico have secured their places in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Kylian Mbappe delivering another history-making performance as the knockout stage gathered momentum.
Mbappe scored twice as France brushed aside Sweden 3-0 at the New York New Jersey Stadium, sending Les Bleus into the last 16 and moving within touching distance of becoming the FIFA World Cup’s all-time leading scorer.
The France captain has now scored 18 World Cup goals, overtaking Miroslav Klose to move into outright second place on the all-time scoring chart. He now trails only Lionel Messi by one goal, setting up what promises to be a fascinating battle between two of football’s greatest stars as the tournament progresses.
Bradley Barcola also got on the scoresheet as France continued their flawless campaign with another dominant display.
Fresh from a perfect group-stage run, the 1998 and 2018 world champions overwhelmed Sweden from the opening whistle, creating chance after chance. Mbappe had an effort ruled out for offside before striking the woodwork, while Michael Olise came agonisingly close to producing a spectacular overhead kick that crashed against the crossbar.
France’s relentless pressure was finally rewarded just before half-time when Mbappe collected a short corner, surged into the penalty area and fired an unstoppable shot into the far corner to open the scoring.
Barcola doubled France’s advantage eight minutes into the second half before Mbappe completed his brace in the 74th minute to wrap up an emphatic victory.
France will now face Paraguay in the Round of 16 after the South Americans stunned four-time champions Germany in a dramatic penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw.
Co-hosts Mexico also continued their impressive World Cup campaign with a convincing 2-0 victory over Ecuador to book their place in the knockout stage.
Despite a one-hour weather delay before kick-off at the Mexico City Stadium, Javier Aguirre’s side started brightly and created several early chances through Gilberto Mora, Luis Romo and Raul Jimenez.
The breakthrough came in the 22nd minute when Julian Quinones raced onto a perfectly weighted pass from Roberto Alvarado before unleashing a powerful finish beyond Ecuador goalkeeper Hernan Galindez.
Mexico remained in complete control after the interval, with defenders Cesar Montes and Johan Vasquez marshalling the backline superbly while goalkeeper Raul Rangel recorded his fourth consecutive clean sheet of the tournament.
Ecuador’s frustrating evening ended on a sour note deep into stoppage time when defender Piero Hincapie was shown a red card following an exchange with Mexico striker Santiago Gimenez.
Mexico will now return to the Mexico City Stadium on July 5 to face either England or DR Congo, who meet later today at 5 p.m. Nigerian time for a place in the Round of 16.
Norway also progressed after defeating Ivory Coast to continue their dream debut World Cup campaign. Erling Haaland’s side will now face five-time champions Brazil after the Selecao edged Japan 2-1 in another entertaining Round of 32 encounter.
The race for the Golden Boot is becoming increasingly intense, with Mbappe and Lionel Messi jointly leading the tournament’s scoring chart on six goals each, while Norway striker Erling Haaland remains firmly in contention with five goals.
With football’s biggest nations battling for World Cup glory and individual records continuing to fall, the knockout rounds are already delivering the drama expected from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
