FIFA World Cup 2026: Mbappé Shines as France Cruise Into Round of 16, Norway and Mexico Also Advance

France delivered another commanding performance at the FIFA World Cup 2026, defeating Sweden 3-0 to secure a place in the Round of 16. A brilliant brace from Kylian Mbappé and a goal from Bradley Barcola sealed the win, while Norway and Mexico also booked their spots in the next stage with victories over Ivory Coast and Ecuador, respectively.

Mbappé continued his record-breaking World Cup campaign by scoring twice, taking his tournament tally to six goals and moving ahead in the Golden Boot race thanks to two assists. His goals also lifted his overall World Cup record to 18 goals, surpassing Miroslav Klose for second place on the all-time men's World Cup scoring list. He now trails only Lionel Messi's 19 goals.

The French captain also became the first player to score 10 goals in FIFA World Cup knockout matches, overtaking Brazilian legend Ronaldo. His 22 overall World Cup goal contributions (18 goals and four assists) place him second in tournament history, behind only Messi.

France have now scored at least three goals in each of their last five World Cup matches—a tournament record—and have won their opening four matches for only the second time, matching their title-winning 1998 campaign. Didier Deschamps also registered his ninth World Cup knockout victory as France coach, the most by any manager in tournament history.

Michael Olise continued his impressive campaign by registering his fifth assist of the tournament, leaving him just one short of Pelé's record of six assists in a single World Cup edition since 1966.

In the day's other major fixture, Norway defeated Ivory Coast 2-1 in a dramatic contest. Antonio Nusa gave Norway the lead before substitute Amad equalised for the African side. Erling Haaland netted the decisive goal late in the match, taking his tournament tally to five goals. The Norwegian striker has now scored in 13 consecutive competitive internationals for his country, producing an astonishing 25 goals during that run.

Mexico also progressed with a convincing 2-0 victory over Ecuador at the Azteca Stadium. First-half goals from Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez secured El Tri's first World Cup knockout-stage win in 40 years, setting up a Round of 16 clash against the winner of England and DR Congo.

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