Centurion Mbappé Brace Fires France Into Knockouts, Keeps Golden Boot Race Alive
Kylian Mbappé marked his 100th appearance for France with a brace that sealed Les Bleus’ place in the Round of 32 at the FIFA World Cup 2026, as they eased past Iraq 3-0 at Philadelphia Stadium.
The Real Madrid star struck in both halves to take his tally to four goals in the tournament, keeping him just behind Lionel Messi in the adidas Golden Boot race.
His second goal, the 16th of his World Cup career, drew him level with Miroslav Klose’s all-time record. Ousmane Dembélé added a third to complete a comfortable victory for Didier Deschamps’ side.
Mbappé opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a ferocious left-foot strike from 20 yards after being set up by Michael Olise. His second came in the 54th minute, capitalising on a defensive mix-up between Zaid Tahseen and goalkeeper Ahmed Basil, with Dembélé unselfishly squaring for his captain to finish.
Dembélé was rewarded for his creativity 12 minutes later, crashing home his first World Cup goal after another clever Olise assist.
France were rarely troubled in the thunderstorm-delayed match, controlling proceedings throughout.
‘In the second half, we were completely in control, bearing in mind that it wasn’t straightforward given what had happened. But putting the result beyond doubt is a very good thing; we’ve qualified tonight, even though I’m convinced that the third [match against Norway] will be decisive for our final position in the group,’ said coach Didier Deschamps.
Defender Lucas Digne echoed the satisfaction. ‘It’s another step forward for us. We know what we came here for; we’ll keep working match by match and keep improving. I really enjoyed this match, we won 3-0 and kept a clean sheet; it’s been a perfect evening. I felt good; my team-mates and I know each other well,’ he said.
France now top Group I with six points, level with Norway, who also secured progression after beating Senegal. Mbappé, named Player of the Match, will continue his personal duel with Messi for both the Golden Boot and the all-time World Cup scoring record as France prepare for a decisive clash with Norway.
