France has emerged as the dominant force in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, securing a spot in its third consecutive semifinals with an undefeated record through six matches. The team's consistent performance has seen their odds of winning the tournament shorten significantly, now standing at +130, the lowest among all nations.
France opened its World Cup campaign with a 3-1 victory over Senegal, featuring a brace from Kylian Mbappé. The team continued its strong group stage performance, defeating Iraq 3-0 and Norway 4-1 to finish atop Group I. Throughout these matches, France demonstrated superior control, outshooting opponents and maintaining significant possession.
The knockout stage has seen France elevate its game further, remaining unscored upon and outscoring opponents Sweden, Paraguay, and Morocco by a combined 6-0. Across these three victories, France has held a decisive shot advantage of 62-18, underscoring their command of the matches.
Statistical Dominance
France is the sole team in the tournament to win all six of its regulation matches, with five of those wins being by multiple goals. They have outscored opponents 16-2 and have not trailed at any point. The team leads the tournament in both goals scored (16) and assists (14). Furthermore, France leads in attempts on target with 47, a figure that is 13 more than any other nation. This marks France as the third nation in history to reach three consecutive World Cup semifinals, joining Germany and Brazil.
Mbappé's Record-Breaking Run
Kylian Mbappé has been a central figure in France's success, leading the tournament with eight goals in six games. His performance has made him the favorite for the Golden Boot, with odds at +105. Mbappé now holds 20 career World Cup goals, placing him second all-time and just one goal behind Lionel Messi. He is the first player to score eight goals in two separate World Cups and has extended his World Cup knockout-stage goal record to 12. Mbappé has accounted for half of France's 16 goals in this tournament and has been involved in 11 goals (eight goals, three assists), the most by a single player in a World Cup since Gerd Müller in 1970.
Mbappé has also set new benchmarks in other areas. He has registered 10 goal involvements in each of his last two World Cups, a feat not achieved by any other player since 1966. He is the first player to reach 100 goal involvements for the French national team, with 64 goals and 36 assists. Additionally, Mbappé has scored the winning goal in eight World Cup matches, the most by any player in history, and is tied with Messi for the most non-penalty goals in World Cup history (17).
The Mbappé-Dembélé-Olise Connection
France's offensive prowess is further highlighted by the partnership between Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé. France is the first team since Brazil in 2002 to have two players score five or more goals in a single World Cup, with Mbappé scoring eight and Dembélé five. The duo has combined for 13 goals. Their synergy extends to assists, with Dembélé providing two assists to Mbappé and Mbappé returning three assists to Dembélé, marking the most goal combinations between a duo since 1966. Michael Olise has also contributed significantly, with five assists, placing him in contention to tie the single World Cup record of six assists, previously held by Pelé in 1970.