France are going to take some stopping at this World Cup, aren't they? On Tuesday afternoon at MetLife, les Bleus easily swatted aside Sweden 3-0, a match that was never really in any doubt.
Michael Olise almost broke the deadlock with the most jaw-dropping overhead kick you're ever likely to see, but Kylian Mbappé did get the scoring started soon after in first-half stoppage time. After a well-worked short corner routine, he ended up 1vs1 with Viktor Gyökeres before lashing the ball into Jacob Widell Zetterström's far corner. After the break, Olise's perfect through ball set up Bradley Barcola to make it two before Mbappé curled in a third, thereby ending the game as a contest.
This victory makes France the first team in World Cup history to score three or more goals in five successive matches, showing little sign of slowing down. So, who will be the next team to attempt to stop Les Bleus reaching a third successive World Cup Final, something only West Germany in 1990 and Brazil 12 years later have ever achieved before?
Who do France play next at the World Cup?
Next up, France will take on old foes Germa.... wait what? Wow! No one saw that coming! On Monday, in one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history, Paraguay knocked out Germany on penalties at Gillette Stadium. It has been quite the turnaround for la Albirroja, who began this campaign by being hammered 4-1 by USA, now through to the round of 16, dumping out the four-time winners.
France have never lost any of their five previous meetings with Paraguay, most recently winning a friendly 5-0 at Roazhon Park nine years ago; Olivier Giroud with a hat-trick that night. The pair first met at the 1958 World Cup, a 7-3 victory for the French in Norrköping, but their rematch in Pennsylvania will evoke memories of a more-recent World Cup encounter
The pair clash in the round of 16 of France '98 at Stade Bollaert, with Laurent Blanc's extra time winner, the first-ever golden goal in World Cup history, sending Aimé Jacquet's team through en route to winning their first-ever World Cup. Didier Deschamps was captain that day, and his side could be set to repeat that triumph in 19 days' time. Not taking Paraguay for granted, but who would await les Bleus thereafter?
France's potential World Cup knockout stage schedule
- Round of 16: Paraguay on Saturday, July 4, at 5 p.m. ET in Philadelphia
- Quarter-final: Morocco or Canada on Thursday, July 9, at 4 p.m. ET in Foxborough
- Semi-final: Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Senegal, USA, Croatia, Bosnia or Austria on Tuesday, July 14, at 3 p.m. ET in Arlington
- Final: Argentina, Brazil, England, Colombia, Norway, Switzerland, Mexico, Ecuador, Egypt, Australia, DR Congo, Algeria, Ghana or Cape Verde on Sunday, July 19 at 3 p.m. ET in New Jersey
After their own surprise shootout win over the Netherlands on Monday, Morocco will take on co-hosts Canada for the right to, more than likely, meet the French in the quarter-finals next Thursday. If all goes as expected, Les Bleus and the Atlas Lions would meet for the first time since a World Cup semi-final four years ago. That night in Qatar, France ended Morocco's historic run, prevailing 2-0 in Al-Khor, with Théo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani the scorers.
This would set up a blockbuster semi-final with... we don't know who yet. Spain look the strongest side in this section of the draw, but one cannot overlook Portugal, Belgium, Croatia, Senegal, or perhaps even the United States. Were it to be Spain, this would be the third successive summer in which the pair have met in a semifinal, with la Roja dumping les Bleus out of both Euro 2024 and last June's UEFA Nations League at the final four stage. This time, though, looks likely to be different, with France clearly the team to beat.
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