Kylian Mbappe Scores Brace to Equal World Cup Record as France Cruise Past Iraq

• Kylian Mbappe scored twice to take his World Cup tally to 16 goals, moving level with the second-highest scorer in tournament history as France defeated Iraq 3-0 in a weather-delayed clash in Philadelphia.

Kylian Mbappe continued his remarkable World Cup form by scoring twice as France comfortably defeated Iraq 3-0 in a weather-disrupted Group I clash on Monday.

The French superstar opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a brilliant left-footed strike from the edge of the box before adding his second shortly after the restart following a costly mistake from Iraq goalkeeper Ahmed Basil.

The victory saw Mbappe reach 16 World Cup goals in just 16 appearances, moving him into joint second place on the all-time World Cup scoring chart and leaving him only two goals behind Lionel Messi’s record.

The match became the first game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be interrupted by severe weather, with the second half delayed by more than two hours due to lightning strikes in the Philadelphia area.

Despite dominating the early stages, France struggled to create clear opportunities before the lengthy weather delay. However, Les Bleus returned from the break with renewed energy and quickly doubled their advantage.

Iraq’s defence gifted France their second goal after Ahmed Basil failed to control a short goal-kick, allowing Ousmane Dembele to set up Mbappe for a simple finish.

Dembele later added a third goal with a low strike into the bottom corner, scoring his first-ever goal for France at a major tournament. The goal was brilliantly created by Michael Olise, whose outside-of-the-foot pass split open the Iraqi defence.

Mbappe had the chance to complete his hat-trick late in the game after racing through on goal, but his left-footed effort sailed high over the crossbar.

The win keeps France at the top of Group I with a perfect six points and strengthens their bid to reach a third consecutive FIFA World Cup final, while Iraq remain bottom of the group without a point.