Kylian Mbappe marked a landmark 100th France appearance with two goals as France beat Iraq 3-0 in a World Cup group match at Philadelphia Stadium, a contest disrupted by thunderstorms and an extended half-time, yet still controlled by France, who secured a second straight Group I victory and a place in the round of 32.
The match included a lengthy delay, with half-time stretched to two hours and 10 minutes because of storms around the venue, but France stayed sharper on the restart, added to Mbappeβs first-half strike, and limited Iraq to half chances while also seeing Ousmane Dembele finally score a first major tournament goal.
Earlier on 23 June, Lionel Messi moved clear as the World Cupβs record scorer with 18 goals, yet Mbappe narrowed the gap
by reaching 16, drawing level with Miroslav Klose, while also becoming the 10th menβs France player to reach 100 caps and the youngest to do so at 27 years and 184 days.
Mbappeβs opening goal also added another long-range strike to the record books, meaning two of Mbappeβs last three World Cup goals have been scored from outside the penalty area, compared with just one from the first 13, underlining how Mbappeβs threat has extended beyond the usual penalty-box positions.
| Player | World Cup goals | Notable milestone |
|---|---|---|
| Lionel Messi | 18 | All-time World Cup top scorer |
| Kylian Mbappe | 16 | Level with Miroslav Klose |
| Miroslav Klose | 16 | Former record holder |
France began quickly against Iraq, and Mbappe celebrated the 100-cap milestone after 14 minutes, exchanging passes with Michael Olise before shaping a curling shot inside the far corner, a strike that defeated goalkeeper Ahmed Basil despite Basil getting fingertips to the ball as it flew towards the net.
Iraq suffered an early setback when Aymen Hussein went off injured after the first-half hydration break, which brought Ali Al Hamadi into the game, and Al Hamadi almost delivered an instant impact by glancing a header narrowly wide, before Mbappe then tried an ambitious effort from near the centre circle that flew over.
After the extended interval, Iraq made the first significant mistake, with a short goal-kick from Zaid Tahseen played into Basil, whose heavy touch was seized by Dembele, and Dembele squared selflessly for Mbappe to finish into an empty net in the 54th minute, doubling Franceβs advantage with a simple side-footed strike.
France continued to create chances as Olise lifted a delicate lob against the crossbar, Basil pushed away Dembeleβs first-time curler, and Adrien Rabiot could only head the rebound wide, while Dembele then hit the side netting before finally drilling a low shot under Basil on 66 minutes for Franceβs controlled third goal.
ππππππππ ππ ππππππ πππππππ Direction les seizimes de finale pour nos Bleus Deux matchs, deux victoires, et un billet pour la phase finale en poche ! 3-0 #FRAIRQ | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/R28Zype7e4Equipe de France (@equipedefrance) June 23, 2026
Mbappe France World Cup Iraq group outlook
Iraq still carved late chances, with Al Hamadi sliding to poke narrowly wide under pressure from Lucas Digne, while Mbappe dragged a shot off target when chasing a hat-trick, and Dembeleβs goal ended a long wait, arriving on Dembeleβs 20th major tournament appearance, 13 of which have come at World Cups.
Statistically, Mbappe entered an elite scoring group, becoming the fourth player to hit at least two goals in three successive World Cup matches, joining Sandor Kocsis, who produced four straight games in 1954, Guillermo Stabile in 1930 and Lionel Messi in 2026, highlighting consistent impact across consecutive tournament appearances.
| Team | Errors leading to goals (2026 World Cup) |
|---|---|
| Tunisia | 5 |
| Iraq | 3 |
The defeat leaves Iraq needing victory against Senegal to have any hope of progressing as one of the best third-placed teams, while defensive mistakes remain a clear concern, with only Tunisia, on five, making more errors leading directly to goals at the 2026 World Cup than Iraqβs three, which have repeatedly proved costly.
