By Africa Front Staff

Mbappé closes on Messi's record as France crush Sweden

Q: What is this sports story about?

Kylian Mbappé scored twice as France beat Sweden 3-0 to reach the World Cup last 16, moving to within one goal of Lionel Messi's all-time finals record.

Q: Who reported this story?

This report was originally reported and written by the Africa Front newsroom, published on July 1, 2026.

Q: What related topics does this story cover?

South Africa News, African Football

July 1, 2026

Mbappé closes on Messi's record as France crush Sweden

Kylian Mbappé scored twice as France cruised past Sweden 3-0 to reach the last 16 of the World Cup, edging closer to Lionel Messi's all-time tournament scoring record.

The brace at MetLife Stadium took the Real Madrid forward to 18 goals across World Cup finals, moving him two clear of Germany's Miroslav Klose and just one behind Messi. He also became the leading scorer in World Cup knockout matches, with 10.

Mbappé opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time, picked out by a Dembélé pass following a short corner before bending a fierce finish into the corner. France doubled their lead in the second half through Bradley Barcola, set up by Michael Olise, who registered his fifth assist of the tournament. Mbappé then added the third, lifting his shot over the goalkeeper to complete a commanding win.

The result set up a last-16 meeting with Paraguay, as the 2018 champions signalled their intent to go deep in the competition once again.

For Sweden, the defeat ended their tournament, as France's blend of pace, movement and clinical finishing proved too much. Mbappé's continued goal-scoring puts him on course to potentially overtake Messi and challenge Klose's overall finals record before the tournament is out.