PHILADELPHIA, June 23 — France captain Kylian Mbappe added another chapter to his remarkable international career, reaching 100 appearances for the French national team and achieving multiple World Cup milestones in France’s 3-0 victory over Iraq at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Mbappe became the 10th player to reach 100 appearances for France’s men’s national team and the youngest ever to do so at 27 years and 184 days.
The Real Madrid forward also continued his prolific scoring record on football’s biggest stage, finding the net twice as France secured a comfortable win and strengthened its position among the tournament favorites.
His opening goal was a spectacular strike from outside the penalty area, continuing a recent trend in his World Cup scoring. Two of Mbappe’s last three World Cup goals have come from beyond the box, compared with just one of his first 13 goals in the competition.
The French captain also joined an elite group of players by becoming only the fourth footballer to score at least two goals in three consecutive FIFA World Cup appearances. The list includes Hungary’s Sandor Kocsis, Argentina’s Guillermo Stabile, and Lionel Messi.
Mbappe’s performance helped France maintain its impressive form, while teammate Ousmane Dembele also enjoyed a memorable evening, scoring his first goal in a major international tournament. The strike came in his 20th appearance at a major competition, including 13 World Cup matches.
The two goals took Mbappe’s overall World Cup tally to 16, drawing him level with Miroslav Klose and moving him within two goals of Lionel Messi’s all-time World Cup record of 18 goals.
Mbappe opened the scoring in the 14th minute on his landmark 100th international appearance. The move began down the right flank, where he combined with Michael Olise. After Olise recovered possession following a blocked pass, he found Mbappe on the edge of the penalty area. The French star unleashed a powerful left-footed shot that slipped past Iraqi goalkeeper Ahmed Basil despite getting a hand to the ball.
His second goal came in the 54th minute after a costly defensive mistake by Iraq. Defender Rebin Sulaka played a short back pass following a goal kick, but Basil failed to control the ball under pressure from Dembele. France quickly seized possession, and Dembele squared the ball to Mbappe, who calmly tapped into an empty net to double France’s advantage.
France added a third goal to complete a dominant 3-0 victory and continue its strong World Cup campaign.
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