Kylian Mbappé Eyes World Cup Glory After France's Win

Kylian Mbappé walked off the pitch in Philadelphia with the match ball under his arm and Lionel Messi’s record in his sights, but his gaze was fixed on something else entirely: New York, July 19, the World Cup final.

France had just swept Sweden aside 3-0 in the round of 32, Mbappé scoring twice with the kind of ruthless clarity that has become his trademark on this stage. Those goals took him to 18 in 18 World Cup games, one behind Messi’s all-time mark of 19, and level with the Argentine at the top of this tournament’s scoring chart on six.

The numbers are extraordinary. He treats them as background noise.

“I think the goal, as I said, is to go as far as possible – to make it to (the final on) July 19th and come back here,” he told reporters, brushing away the idea that the chase for Messi’s record might distract him. The obsession is collective, not individual.

Mbappé knows how this sounds. A striker who scores at a goal-a-game clip insisting he is not consumed by the rankings. Yet his explanation rings true. “Of course, the more goals you score, the higher you climb in the rankings – I’m not telling anyone anything new there,” he said, before immediately steering the conversation back to the team and the road ahead.

He also expects the man he is hunting to keep moving the bar. “I’m also convinced that Leo is going to score more goals, so I don’t focus too much on that. I’m more focused on the opponents we might face and how close we’re getting to our goal: the final.”

Messi’s Argentina will be heavily favoured when they meet Cape Verde in the last 32 on Friday. France, meanwhile, head to Philadelphia again on Saturday to face Paraguay for a place in the quarter-finals, with co-hosts Canada or Morocco waiting beyond that.

On paper, it looks like a clear path. The events of this World Cup have shredded that illusion for anyone paying attention.

Paraguay arrive with the swagger of giant-killers after sending four-time world champions Germany home on penalties in the last 32. They did it with an ultra-defensive game plan, a deep block and a stubborn refusal to be drawn into a shootout until the actual shootout. There is no suggestion they will suddenly open up against France.

Mbappé, for one, is not fooled by the underdog label.

“I think we’ll keep working between now and the Paraguay match to see what we can improve, because there are still some sequences that aren't quite clear enough, there’s room for improvement,” he said. The scoreline against Sweden looked emphatic; the analysis inside the French camp will be anything but complacent.

“Still, I think it’s positive overall, and our ability to score goals means we always have the chance to take the lead in matches.” That, right now, is France’s most intimidating weapon: even when the performance is imperfect, the cutting edge remains.

The message from Mbappé is simple. Records can wait. The trophy cannot.

Belgium resets the bar – but Senegal stand in the way

While France and Mbappé move through the knockout rounds with the air of seasoned contenders, Belgium are trying to rewrite their own World Cup story.

They arrived at this tournament under a cloud. The golden generation that finished third in Russia in 2018 stumbled badly in Qatar four years later, failing even to escape the group. That scar still sits close to the surface.

This time, they have cleared the first hurdle. A 5-1 demolition of New Zealand on Friday night sealed top spot in Group G and, with it, a sense of redemption. One win, two draws, unbeaten. Not spectacular, but solid. Crucially, better than 2022.

“We wanted to finish first in the group stage and we succeeded,” coach Rudi Garcia said in French. It was the first box ticked, nothing more. “Of course we wanted to win more — we know the story of our World Cup so far. Now it is time for the knockout phase. Senegal is a big team. But, you have to beat them, too, if you want to go far in a World Cup.”

The bracket has already delivered its warning. Germany, stunned by Paraguay. The Netherlands, dumped out by Morocco. Two heavyweights gone in the space of one night. Any lingering sense of entitlement has evaporated.

Romelu Lukaku didn’t need those shocks to understand what is coming on Wednesday.

“We know it will be a tough match,” the striker said in French. “Senegal has a lot of top-level players, and the coach is, too. I think it’s 50-50. We really shouldn’t underestimate them.”

Senegal finished only third in Group I, but the table hides the grind. Three points, a plus-2 goal differential, and a group that included France and an Erling Haaland-led Norway. To emerge from that with their confidence intact says plenty about their resilience.

They also arrive in form. A 5-0 rout of Iraq in the last 32 showcased their attacking power, with Sadio Mané again the focal point. The question is whether they can crack one of the tournament’s tightest defences.

Belgium have conceded just two goals in three games, anchored by the imposing presence of Thibaut Courtois. His command of the penalty area and authority in big moments remain central to Belgium’s identity. If Senegal are to spring an upset, they will have to find a way past him.

They must also do it without their first-choice goalkeeper. Édouard Mendy, injured in a 3-2 loss to Norway in the group stage, will not be available, coach Pape Thiaw confirmed. That leaves Mory Diaw in line for another start after his clean sheet against Iraq.

“Mory had a great performance,” Thiaw said in French. “He kept a clean sheet and I think (as) the goalkeeper tomorrow, we hope that we’ll also come up with a clean sheet.”

Hope, in this case, rests on more than sentiment. Diaw looked composed and assured in his previous outing, but Belgium will test him in a very different way.

Thiaw has not shied away from the scale of the task, nor from the opportunity. Monday’s shocks have only sharpened his belief that the bracket is there to be disrupted.

“It’s not because you finished top of your group that you’re not going to be knocked out in the next round,” he said. “That’s exactly what happened with the Netherlands. It’s another tournament starting. We are looking for the win tomorrow so that we can continue our journey.”

Belgium, for their part, have been repeating the same mantra: favourites on paper mean nothing once the whistle blows.

“It doesn’t matter who the favorite is,” forward Charles De Ketelaere said. “We have confidence and need to be sharp. Yesterday showed that it doesn’t matter if you are the favorite.”

Garcia at least has one small boost on the personnel front. Center back Zeno Debast, sidelined all summer with a left leg injury, has returned to full training after an MRI on Saturday and sessions on Monday and Tuesday with tape on his knee. He is not expected to start, but his presence deepens the defensive options.

“Zeno Debast is with the group, but tomorrow is still too soon,” Garcia said. “He is making progress, though. He still needs time to get fully fit, as was anticipated. I am very satisfied with the defenders we have already called upon.”

Satisfied, but not safe. Not in this tournament.

France chase history with Mbappé in full stride. Argentina lean on Messi and a favourable draw. Belgium try to prove that their golden era still has a shine, while Senegal arrive with scars from a brutal group and the swagger of a side that just scored five.

The margins have never looked thinner.