France has its first decisive knockout win. Can anyone stop them on the path to a World Cup final?

World CupFrance has its first decisive knockout win. Can anyone stop them on the path to a World Cup final? A front line of Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembelé, Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola is arguably the single most-intimidating offense in the World Cup thus far. Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00France forward Kylian Mbappé, No. 10, celebrates with defender Malo Gusto, No. 2, after winning the 2026 World Cup round of 32 game against Sweden on Tuesday. Jewel Samad / AFP via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 30, 2026, 10:28 PM EDTBy Doha MadaniWhat happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? Well, the French men’s national team wouldn’t know because it has yet to meet an immovable object in this World Cup. Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscriptionGet exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.In the first decisive victory of this tournament’s knockout stage, France dominated Sweden Tuesday with a 3-0 win that guaranteed the French another match this week. This tournament has put France back on top of the FIFA men’s world rankings, just ahead of Argentina, who France lost to in the final four years ago. But France’s defeat of Sweden, a team praised for its strong defensive posturing, begs the question: Can anyone defeat Les Bleus at this World Cup? “Well, of course it’s football — anything is possible,” Sweden’s head coach Graham Potter told reporters after the match. “But I personally haven’t seen a better team, because the quality they have all over the pitch. And then the options for them off the bench are very, very strong.” France's forward Kylian Mbappé during the match between France and Sweden at the New York/New Jersey Stadium on Tuesday.Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty ImagesKylian Mbappé, 27, scored two of Tuesday’s goals at the helm of an attack that might be the single most-intimidating offense in the World Cup thus far. The striker is joined up front by Ousmane Dembelé, who scored a hat tr...