France Dominates the World Cup — But Have They Truly Faced a Real Challenge Yet?

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Pure surrealism here in section 225 along the stadium's north side. Walk past the man in the snug striped shirt sporting a red beret and clutching a plastic baguette prop, and you round the corner to discover two men dressed as mimes. They're waving a French flag to cool down a young Les Bleus supporter who has overheated and collapsed into a chair while security forms a protective circle around him.

Around the bend strides Max, a well-built man of roughly 5'10" drenched in sweat beneath what appears to be a thick, non-breathable blonde wig styled in braided pigtails. He's sporting a traditional Swedish Midsommar dress over shin guards, soccer socks and tennis shoes. Follow him through the concourse and out to the patio, and you've reached Camp Sweden.

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The Swedish football fan section—which also featured a clever touch of supporters wearing yellow shirts emblazoned with the word IKEA—was modest in size compared to the overwhelming French contingent among the 83,000 fans packed into the New Jersey stadium, yet for the opening 40 minutes, chants of 'Allez, Allez, Allez' ('Onward Sweden') rang out without pause.

Max noted that Swedish fans took pride in their FIFA ranking for sportsmanship, but when told that France were heavy favorites, his eyes narrowed and he struck a playful fighter's stance. When asked whether he still believed, as Sweden somehow survived one dangerous French attack after another—including a 19th-minute Kylian Mbappé goal that was disallowed on review—over the first 40 minutes, he grinned.

"Of course I do," he says. "I f—- flew here."

France and Kylian Mbappé Take Charge

Inevitably, in quick succession just before the break, just after it, and once more at the 73rd minute, France sharpened its finishing and extinguished any hope of a remarkable upset. Gone were the wayward efforts and the moments where Les Bleus' lethal attackers were clutching their heads in disbelief.

Kylian Mbappé cut between two defenders and drove the ball into the far corner of the net. Bradley Barcola weaved between a pair of Swedish defenders, took a deft touch and finished. Then Mbappé, one final time, fired the ball into the far corner, just beyond the reach of Sweden's goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström. After that last strike, Mbappé found open space and leapt into the air with the unbridled joy of a child pretending to be a rocket launching toward the moon.

Beyond the brief confidence that radiated from Camp Sweden, the eventual 3-0 scoreline was widely anticipated. France became the first side in World Cup history to score three or more goals in five consecutive matches, though those fixtures came against some of the tournament's weaker opponents: a tepid Senegal, Iraq and a reserve-heavy Norway, none of whom rank in the FIFA top 15 (Iraq sits somewhere in the mid-60s). Sweden, too, had entered the World Cup in organizational disarray.

Just How Good is This France Team?

That raises the pressing question as France advances to face Paraguay—another side outside the FIFA top 30, though buoyed by a stunning opening-round upset over Germany—in the second round of the knockout stage: Should we trust what our eyes are telling us? Or is this simply another win over a small, spirited, outgunned outfit like the one we witnessed in Camp Sweden?

"We knew we had to be flawless," Sweden manager Graham Potter said afterward, acknowledging that even perfection might not have been sufficient. "We needed a couple of miracles."

When asked whether any team could defeat France, he replied: "Of course, it's football, anything can happen, but I personally haven't seen a better team."

As Mbappé was substituted off in the 86th minute, France manager Didier Deschamps spread his arms wide and bowed repeatedly, welcoming the 27-year-old superstar to the bench. Mbappé has now appeared in 18 World Cup matches and scored 18 goals. He stands alone as the all-time record holder, surpassing Ronaldo and Leonidas, for the most goals scored in the knockout stages of the World Cup (10).

What France Does to Opponents

French football right now is the embodiment of versatility, featuring a fluid, shape-shifting attack built on a concept that is straightforward in theory but nearly impossible to execute in practice: become fluid enough to unlock your goalscorers. France has dominated by mastering width, drawing double teams across the pitch and stretching defenses that still cannot contain the team's array of forwards. Even with regular hydration breaks, the physical toll this exacts on opposing defenders is devastating.

They carry themselves with fitting authority. Before Mbappé's opening goal, he delivered a no-look backheel pass to Ousmane Dembélé that resembled a choreographed dance move (the pair have more combined assists for each other than any duo in over 50 years). Every element of his expression suggested he fully expected the moment to go viral. France controlled possession for more than 60% of the match and held a shot advantage of 12-3.

Les Bleus appear comfortable enough, then, to brush aside concerns about the quality of their opponents. Deschamps acknowledged that "for us, it wasn't that difficult" to reach the round of 16, but cautioned a reporter who raised the growing confidence among French fans and media.

"Slow down, please," he said. "There are issues, there's always room for improvement."