7M - France 3-0 Iraq: Mbappe Double Fires France Into World Cup Knockout Stages

France booked their place in the 2026 World Cup knockout rounds following a comfortable 3-0 victory over Iraq in an extended, weather-disrupted Group I match at Philadelphia Stadium.

Les Bleus captain Kylian Mbappe took center stage on his landmark 100th international appearance, netting twice to guide his side into the round of 32 with two straight victories. Achieving this milestone at 27 years and 184 days, Mbappe became the youngest male player to reach a century of caps for France. His performance took his current tournament tally to four goals and his career World Cup total to 16, drawing him level with Miroslav Klose. He also became just the fourth player in football history to score two or more goals in three successive World Cup appearances.

The encounter was heavily impacted by environmental conditions, with the halftime interval prolonged to two hours and 10 minutes due to severe local thunderstorms.

France established control early on, breaking the deadlock after just 14 minutes. Mbappe exchanged a neat one-two with Michael Olise before curling a superb strike into the back of the net, despite a touch from Iraq goalkeeper Ahmed Basil. Iraq found a brief spark when substitute Ali Al Hamadi, who replaced the injured Aymen Hussein, directed a header just wide of the post before the weather delay.

In the 54th minute, a defensive error allowed France to double their lead. A short goal-kick from Zaid Tahseen put Basil under pressure, and his loose control was pounced on by Ousmane Dembele, who unselfishly set up Mbappe to slot the ball into an empty net.

Dembele capped off a strong performance by scoring the final goal in the 66th minute, turning sharply to drive a low effort beneath Basil. The strike marked Dembele's first-ever goal at a major international tournament on his 20th such appearance.

While Iraq threatened briefly through a late sliding effort from Al Hamadi, France remained dominant until the final whistle. With this result, France seals their progression, while Iraq must now defeat Senegal in their final group match to maintain any hope of advancing as one of the best third-placed teams.