Mbappé joins Klose at 16 World Cup goals and propels France into last 16

France qualified for the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup by dominating Iraq 3-0 on matchday two of the group stage. Kylian Mbappé scored a brace, with Ousmane Dembélé completing the scoreline.

This second consecutive brace in the group stage — Mbappé had already scored twice against Senegal (3-1) on matchday one — brings his World Cup tally to 16 goals. He now joins Germany’s Miroslav Klose in second place on the all-time World Cup scoring list. Only Lionel Messi, with 18 goals and still decisive with a brace against Austria (2-0) earlier in the evening, now leads the French captain.

The evening was also marked by a personal milestone: at 27 years and 184 days, Mbappé became the youngest French player to reach 100 caps with Les Bleus.

After the match, the Real Madrid player praised his team’s collective solidity despite difficult preparation conditions. “We did good work, it was a very long day for us. We stayed focused. There can be storms or 3 hours of waiting, we stay focused on our objective. There are always things to improve, but we’re on the right path,” he said, before announcing the group’s focus on the next opponent: “We’ll recover well and concentrate on the match against Norway.”

France therefore enters matchday three of the group stage with two wins from two matches and a place in the last 16 already secured.