Evening Standard
·30 June 2026
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·30 June 2026
Les Bleus eye statement win as rivals falter in last-32
The World Cup last-32 rolls on today as tournament favourites France face Sweden at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Les Bleus came into the finals with a formidable squad and the performances to match, having breezed past Senegal, Norway and Iraq, scoring ten goals en route to topping the group. Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele were responsible for four of those goals each, with the latter hitting a blistering first-half hat-trick in their most recent outing.
Sweden, meanwhile, finished third in their group with four points. It was a tumultuous pool phase for Graham Potter’s men, who kicked off the summer by putting five goals past Tunisia before turning around and shipping five to the Netherlands a few days later. They will have their work cut out for them against this ruthless France team today, but may be inspired to pick up an upset after watching Paraguay triumph against Germany last night.
In a boost for France, Didier Deschamps will be back in the dugout today after missing their previous match due to compassionate leave. Follow the action LIVE below with Standard Sport’s dedicated match blog, complete with expert insight and analysis.







































