Philadelphia: France secured a comfortable 3-0 victory over Iraq on Monday, with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice and Ousmane Dembele adding another goal as the former world champions advanced to the FIFA World Cup 2026 knockout stage.
Playing in his 100th international match, Mbappe delivered another standout performance, netting his second brace of the tournament. However, the match was heavily disrupted by severe weather conditions, with thunderstorms causing a delay of nearly two hours before the second half could begin.
France took control early and opened the scoring in the 14th minute. Mbappe received a pass from Michael Olise near the edge of the penalty area, shifted the ball onto his left foot and fired a powerful shot beyond Iraqi goalkeeper Ahmed Basil.
The lengthy weather interruption did little to change the flow of the contest. Shortly after play resumed, Iraq gifted France a second goal following a costly defensive error. A misplaced goal kick allowed Dembele to set up Mbappe for a simple finish in the 54th minute.
Dembele then got on the scoresheet himself 12 minutes later, controlling another precise pass from Olise before calmly slotting the ball past Basil to make it 3-0.
The victory leaves France level on points with Norway at the top of Group I, setting up a decisive clash between the two sides for first place in the group. Norway also won on Monday, defeating Senegal 3-2.
Mbappe’s latest goals brought his World Cup tally to 16, drawing level with former Germany striker Miroslav Klose on the all-time scoring list. The French captain now has four goals in the 2026 tournament and trails Argentina star Lionel Messi by just one goal in the race for the Golden Boot.
Despite the defeat, Iraq remain mathematically in contention for a place in the next round through one of the best third-place positions. However, they will likely need a victory over Senegal in their final group match and favourable results elsewhere to keep their hopes alive.