France sealed its place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 round of 16 with a commanding 3-0 win over Sweden in New Jersey on Tuesday.

Kylian Mbappe scored twice to take his tally in the quadrennial tournament to 18. Bradley Barcola scored the other goal.

France will now face Paraguay in the pre-quarterfinal in Philadelphia on July 4.

The South American side had eliminated 2014 champion Germany on penalties in the round of 32 after a 1-1 draw at the end of extra time.

Les Blues most recently faced Paraguay in the 1998 World Cup when Laurent Blanc scored a golden goal to help them progress to the quarterfinal.

France is slated to play Morocco in the quarterfinal if the Atlas Lions can overcome co-host Canada.

Published on Jul 01, 2026