Mbappé Marks 100th Cap With a Brace
Mbappé Marks 100th Cap With a Brace as France Beat Iraq Through a Two-Hour Storm Delay
June 22, 2026 | Group I | Philadelphia Stadium
Kylian Mbappé chose the perfect stage for a milestone. Marking his 100th appearance for France, the captain scored twice to move level with Miroslav Klose on the all-time World Cup scoring list, and Les Bleus overcame both Iraq and a two-hour weather delay to win 3-0 in Philadelphia and book their place in the knockout stage with a game to spare.
France's quality was evident from the outset, their movement between the lines pulling Iraq apart. The breakthrough came in the 14th minute when Michael Olise found Mbappé on the right and the forward belted a left-footed drive from outside the box past Basil into the net. It was a fitting way to open a landmark night, and it gave France a 1-0 lead that felt like the platform for a comfortable evening.
Then the weather intervened. With severe storms rolling into the Philadelphia area right as the referee blew for halftime, officials ordered players and supporters under cover, triggering the first weather delay of the tournament. What should have been a routine fifteen-minute interval stretched into a stoppage of more than two hours as lightning concerns held up the restart. The grounds crew worked to squeegee standing water off a waterlogged pitch, and Mbappé himself was seen directing staff toward the areas that needed clearing, later noting that the side France attacked had been left soaked while the defensive end was cleaned.
When play finally resumed, France wasted little time putting the result beyond doubt. Iraq attempted to play out from the back and botched a goal kick, gifting possession to Ousmane Dembélé, who unselfishly squared for Mbappé to tap in his second in the 54th minute. It was his 16th career World Cup goal, drawing him level with Klose and to within two of Lionel Messi. Twelve minutes later Dembélé got his own reward, taking an incisive Olise pass and finishing low into the bottom-left corner for the first World Cup goal of his career, a fitting moment for the reigning Ballon d'Or winner.
Mbappé nearly completed his hat trick on a late breakaway but fired over before being withdrawn at the 90th minute. Iraq, playing at only their second World Cup and their first since 1986, showed genuine bravery through the likes of Ali Al-Hamadi and Zidane Iqbal, but were undone by their own defensive errors. France, meanwhile, made it two wins from two and secured qualification, with Mbappé's personal duel with Messi for the Golden Boot and the all-time scoring record still very much alive.
[Photography by Trey Madara]
