EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — France’s devastating attacking quartet of Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola is emerging as the most feared frontline at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Les Bleus strengthening their credentials as title favorites.
“Their four up front is the best in the competition by far,” Norway coach Ståle Solbakken said.
France became the first team to score at least three goals in five consecutive World Cup matches after beating Sweden 3-0 in the Round of 32 on Tuesday, booking a last-16 clash with Paraguay.
The 2018 champions, who finished runners-up to Argentina in the 2022 final, have won all four matches in this year’s tournament while outscoring opponents 13-2.
“There is something that we cannot hide, that we have a lot of quality in the team,” midfielder N’Golo Kanté said. “But it’s the same for many other teams. We cannot see ourselves as too beautiful or too strong.”
Coach Didier Deschamps, who will step down after the tournament, insisted there is still room for improvement despite France’s flawless start.
“We always have to be more demanding because the opponents we’re going to face will be demanding,” Deschamps said. “We need to fine-tune things and correct some negative points. Even though it didn’t cost us much, we still conceded two goals.”
Mbappé continued his remarkable World Cup form by scoring twice against Sweden, taking his tournament tally to six goals to draw level with Argentina captain Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.
The French captain now has 18 career World Cup goals in just 18 appearances, leaving him only one behind Messi’s all-time men’s tournament record of 19 goals, achieved across 29 matches.
“I know that I have qualities, but I have to show them on the biggest stage, which is the World Cup,” Mbappé said.
Dembélé has added four goals, while Olise leads the tournament with five assists. Barcola has contributed one goal and two assists, completing an attack that has overwhelmed opponents throughout the competition.
Operating in Deschamps’ fluid 4-2-3-1 system, the four attackers frequently interchange positions, making them difficult to contain.
“They come into different positions. They’re not static,” Sweden forward Viktor Gyökeres said. “They know each other well, how they move and the connection between them.”
Deschamps has been the architect of France’s sustained success since taking charge in 2012 after captaining the nation to its first World Cup title in 1998.
The victory over Sweden was his 18th World Cup win as France coach.
“We’re much more offensive than in 2018 and in 2022,” Mbappé said. “It’s the continuity of what we started to build throughout Didier Deschamps’ tenure over the last 14 years. You can see the evolution, his personal touch and the arrival of many young talents.”
France, now ranked No. 1 in the FIFA rankings, will face Paraguay in the Round of 16, with a potential quarterfinal against Morocco or Canada and a possible semifinal showdown with Spain on the horizon.
Sweden coach Graham Potter believes France have set the benchmark at this World Cup.
“Because of the players in the wide areas, sometimes you have to double up on them because they can beat you one-on-one,” Potter said. “Then they’ve got not a bad striker in the middle. So you’ve got problems everywhere. They can also build up with great control and strong center backs, so direct football isn’t easy against them either.”
France is attempting to become only the third nation to reach three consecutive World Cup finals, after Germany (1982-1990) and Brazil (1994-2002).
“We have good memories and also bad ones from the last World Cup,” midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni said. “Everybody is ready to fight and give everything to make sure the French people are proud of us.”
Source: Saudi Gazette