Mbappe scores twice as France clinch last-16 spot

Kylian Mbappe scored his 15th and 16th career World Cup goals in his 100th international appearance, powering France into the round of 32.

France defeated Iraq 3-0 on Tuesday in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Group I second match at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Having beaten Senegal 3-1 in their opener, France now sit atop Group I with six points from two wins. Regardless of the outcome of their final group game against Norway on Saturday, they have secured a top-two finish and a place in the round of 32.

Mbappe's brace lifted his all-time World Cup tally to 16 goals, surpassing retired Brazil striker Ronaldo — third on the all-time list — to draw level with retired Germany forward Miroslav Klose. He trails only Lionel Messi, who scored twice against Austria on Tuesday to reach 18 career World Cup goals and reclaim sole possession of the all-time record.

At 27, Mbappe is more than a decade younger than the 38-year-old Messi, and the consensus is that it is only a matter of time before he overtakes the Argentine as the World Cup's all-time leading scorer.

Mbappe scored four goals at the 2018 Russia World Cup and eight at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, and has already netted four in this tournament. His brace against Iraq has also intensified the golden boot race: Messi leads with five goals, with Mbappe one behind on four.

Deployed as a lone striker in France's 4-2-3-1 formation, Mbappe drove the attack throughout the first half and kept Iraq under constant pressure. In the 14th minute, he received a pass from Michael Olise and fired a powerful left-footed shot from outside the penalty area to open the scoring.

In the 42nd minute, Mbappe again broke through Iraq's defense with individual skill inside the penalty box, but Hussein Ali threw himself into a tackle before Mbappe could get a shot away. France continued to press after the break, while Iraq managed just two shots all match.

In the 54th minute, Mbappe reached his 16th World Cup goal. Ousmane Dembele pounced on an Iraqi defensive error, intercepted the ball inside the penalty area and laid it off for Mbappe, who finished with his right foot.

In the 66th minute, Dembele — who had earlier assisted Mbappe's goal — sealed the 3-0 victory with a right-footed strike into the bottom-left corner, his first goal at a World Cup finals.

The match was suspended for two hours and 10 minutes, including a 15-minute halftime break, due to severe weather after France led 1-0 at the interval. The stoppage was prompted by heavy rain, thunderstorms and a detected lightning risk in the area.

Under FIFA regulations, a match is suspended for 30 minutes when lightning is detected within approximately 13 kilometers of the stadium. It was the first weather-related suspension at this World Cup.