Centurion Mbappé Fires France Through
With his brace, Mbappé reached 16 FIFA World Cup goals, drawing level with the previous all-time record held by German legend Miroslav Klose before Lionel Messi surpassed it during this tournament.
France secured their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 with an impressive 3-0 victory over Iraq at Philadelphia Stadium. The spotlight once again belonged to Kylian Mbappé, who celebrated his 100th appearance for France by scoring twice and continuing his remarkable battle with Lionel Messi for both the Golden Boot and a place in World Cup history.
France 3-0 Iraq
Goals:
Mbappé 14', 54' Dembélé 66'
France took control early when Mbappé opened the scoring in the 14th minute. The Real Madrid superstar unleashed a powerful left-footed strike from 20 yards after being set up by Michael Olise.
Mbappé doubled France's lead in the second half following a costly mistake between Iraqi defender Zaid Tahseen and goalkeeper Ahmed Basil. Ousmane Dembélé capitalized on the error before selflessly squaring the ball to his captain for a simple finish.
Just twelve minutes later, Dembélé got on the scoresheet himself. Michael Olise once again provided the creativity, slipping a perfect pass through for the French winger to score his first-ever FIFA World Cup goal.
The Mbappé–Messi Rivalry Continues
With his brace, Mbappé reached 16 FIFA World Cup goals, drawing level with the previous all-time record held by German legend Miroslav Klose before Lionel Messi surpassed it during this tournament.
Mbappé now has four goals at the 2026 World Cup, placing him among the leading contenders for the Golden Boot and keeping the race with Messi very much alive.
Record-Breaking Numbers
The French captain has now scored two or more goals in six different FIFA World Cup matches, more multi-goal games than any player in the tournament's history.
Superior Player of the Match
🏆 Kylian Mbappé (France)
What They Said
Didier Deschamps (France Head Coach):
"In the second half, we were completely in control. Qualification is very important, but our final group match against Norway will still be decisive in determining our finishing position."
Lucas Digne (France Defender):
"It's another step forward for us. We won 3-0, kept a clean sheet, and it was a perfect evening. We feel good and the team is improving with every match."
France now heads into its final Group I match against Norway with qualification already secured, while Mbappé continues his pursuit of Lionel Messi in the race for both the 2026 Golden Boot and the all-time FIFA World Cup scoring record.