France looks invincible in the World Cup. This one player is why

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — As Kylian Mbappé twirled and skipped off the pitch, another singular performance to his name, all his coach could do was pay homage.

Didier Deschamps stood at the edge of the field, greeting his star captain after he had subbed him out in the 85th minute. As Mbappé approached, Deschamps bowed twice.

Mbappé has become something of an inevitability. His two goals Tuesday, June 30 in France‘s 3-0 demolition of Sweden in the World Cup round of 32 kindled a side that had trudged through a heat wave and an inefficient first half.

The goals — the first one a right-footed rocket from the fringe of the 6-yard box and the second one poked past the Swedish keeper in the 74th minute — were yet another glimpse of his punctual mastery.

France and Sweden flags are displayed on the pitch ahead of the 2026 World Cup round of 32 football match between France and Sweden at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on June 30, 2026.

<1 / 10

France and Sweden flags are displayed on the pitch ahead of the 2026 World Cup round of 32 football match between France and Sweden at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on June 30, 2026.

<2 / 10

<3 / 10

<4 / 10

<5 / 10

<6 / 10

<7 / 10

<8 / 10

<9 / 10

<10 / 10

It’s no longer a question of if Mbappé will impact a match or score, but rather a matter of how and when. Mbappé is tied for the tournament lead with six goals and Tuesday marked his third brace in France’s four World Cup matches.

And while Les Bleus are so much more than just Mbappé — a reporter asked Deschamps after the game if he realized he was conducting a machine de guerre (war machine) — when Mbappé is in this form, France becomes unbeatable.

“In terms of the game, we had to be perfect, and even if we were, I’m not sure that would’ve been enough, if I’m brutally honest,” Sweden coach Graham Potter said after the match.

Mbappé, 27, has now tallied 18 career World Cup goals, putting him one behind Lionel Messi‘s all-time record of 19.

The absurdity here being that Messi, the 39 year old who’s widely considered to be the best player in the world, needed 29 matches to get here. Mbappé just finished his 18th.

It seems a near inevitability that Mbappé will not only shatter the record, but he may eventually put it out of reach.

<

Mbappé insists, for his part, that his focus is elsewhere.

“I don’t think about it that way,” he said when asked in Spanish about his record-shattering pace. “Of course, I know all the stats and what people are saying — I watch TV, too — but I think only about how I can help my team, to be here once more on July 19 for the final.”

The impossibility of Mbappé is that he can beat defenses in different ways, and all over the pitch. Deschamps likes to rotate his four top attacking players, which stresses opposing back lines; it creates mismatches as players who haven’t adjusted yet to Mbappé’s speed experience it in real time. He’s a technician on the ball with his dribbling. He’s a blur in open space. He uncorks shots with power and precision and his intuition to stay onside

The other thing Mbappé does, with the attention and gravity he commands, is create spaces for his teammates, even when he doesn’t touch the ball.

Mbappé helped spring Ousmane Dembélé‘s first-half hat trick Friday, June 26 in France’s final match of Group I, after he fired pinpoint passes that launched Dembélé’s first two goals of the match.

Attacker Michael Olise was brilliant against Sweden with 2 assists. Dembélé can strike at any time. Bradley Barcola, who scored the second goal of the match, has been a spot starter who has found his role. And it all runs through Mbappé. This is why France are the favorites to win their second World Cup out of the last three.

“This is an important time, and I understand what a World Cup can do for a country,” Mbappé continued. “I’ve always said it: my objective is to make history for my country. I’ve already done it once. I was close once again in Qatar (2022), but now I have another opportunity, so I’m going to give it everything I have so that all the French people can be proud.”