Kylian Mbappe marked his 100th cap for France with a brace on Monday as the tournament favourites defeated Iraq 3-0 in their 2026 World Cup Group I clash in Philadelphia.
The France captain opened the scoring in the 14th minute and added another goal nine minutes into the second half before Ousmane Dembele sealed the win in the 66th minute.
Mbappe Marks 100th Cap With Goals
Mbappe gave France the lead before the quarter-hour mark with a powerful strike from 20 metres.
The Real Madrid forward controlled a pass with his right foot before sending a shot past Iraq goalkeeper Ahmed Basil.
It was another big moment for the 27-year-old, who has continued his impressive scoring run at the World Cup.
His second goal came in the 54th minute after a defensive mistake by Iraq allowed Dembele to set him up for a simple finish.
Storm Delays Game In Philadelphia
The match at Lincoln Financial Field was delayed for more than two hours at half-time after a severe storm swept through Philadelphia.
The game had started in dry conditions, but torrential rain began late in the first half.
Supporters were instructed after the half-time whistle to leave open seating areas and move to covered parts of the stadium.
Most of the 68,324-capacity venue is uncovered, forcing thousands of fans to wait in the concourses while the storm passed.
It was the first weather-related delay at the 2026 World Cup.
Dembele Completes Victory
After Mbappe’s second goal, France remained firmly in control.
Michael Olise almost added a third when his delicate chip struck the bar.
The Bayern Munich forward later turned provider, setting up Dembele to fire home France’s third goal in the 66th minute.
The goal completed a comfortable win for Didier Deschamps’ side.
Mbappe Closes In On Messi
Mbappe’s two goals took him to 16 career World Cup goals, just two behind Lionel Messi, who set a new record of 18 goals after scoring twice for Argentina against Austria earlier on Monday.
The France captain is now level with Germany legend Miroslav Klose and has overtaken Brazil great Ronaldo, who scored 15 World Cup goals.
Mbappe has now scored 60 goals for France in 100 appearances.
Sixteen of those goals have come in just 16 World Cup matches.
France Reach Last 32
France are now certain of a place in the last 32 after winning their first two Group I matches.
They had opened their campaign with a 3-1 win over Senegal, with Mbappe also scoring twice in that fixture.
France will next face Erling Haaland’s Norway in Boston on Friday.
Iraq Face Early Exit
Iraq are now staring at early elimination after back-to-back defeats.
They lost 4-1 to Norway in their opening match before falling 3-0 to France.
Their problems deepened against France when captain and striker Aymen Hussein was forced off in the 26th minute.
Iraq have now lost all five matches they have played across two World Cup appearances, 40 years apart.
