World Cup 2026: France are united, free and brilliant – can anyone stop them?
It’s not just devastating finishing that France’s World Cup opponents have to worry about.
The spirit and unity of this incredibly talented Les Bleus team should worry the other teams remaining in the tournament and this was evident in the 3-0 defeat of Sweden on Tuesday.
Following Kylian Mbappe’s superbly crafted opening goal, France’s all-time leading scorer ran straight to the bench to embrace Didier Deschamps.
The head coach returned to the dugout for the first time since returning from France to attend his mother’s funeral.
It was a very heartfelt moment.
Mbappe and Deschamps were later joined by the rest of the team. A group hug followed.
After an emotional few days, the smile on Deschamps’ face resurfaced as his team headed into the scorching heat of New Jersey for a last-16 draw with Paraguay in Philadelphia on Saturday, July 4 (22:00 UTC).
“This group united and surrendered when I wasn’t here [last week]”said Deschamps later.
“The team spirit of this group does not make you win matches. But I know that if the situation is the opposite, you may lose matches. Collective strength is above everything.”
Midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni added: “We know the coach is going through a lot, we are trying to give everything to make him as happy as possible.”
Bradley Barcola made it 2-0 and Mbappe moved level with Argentinian Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race for the second time with six goals.
“You can’t stop that kind of talent,” former England striker Ian Wright told ITV Sport.
“France is one of the clear favorites I’ve seen in a World Cup tournament.”
Wright’s former Arsenal team-mate Patrick Vieira, who won the World Cup with France in 1998, added: “They showed everyone they were the team to beat.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Alongside Mbappe’s outstanding finish, Michael Olise bagged a couple more assists to take his tally for the tournament to five as France became the first team to score three or more goals in five consecutive World Cup matches.
It was a breathtaking display that left the 80,000 fans in the stadium asking: can anyone stop France’s Class of 2026?
