France beat Ukraine 4-0 to seal 2026 World Cup spot

Kylian Mbappe scored twice as France sealed their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a commanding 4–0 victory over Ukraine on Thursday, in a match marked by emotional tributes to the victims of the 2015 Paris attacks.

Michael Olise and Hugo Ekitike also found the net in a dominant performance at the Parc des Princes.

After a minute’s silence was observed by 41,000 spectators in honour of the 130 victims of the November 13, 2015, attacks, France took control of the match.

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Mbappe opened the scoring from the penalty spot early in the second half with a calm chip, before Olise doubled the lead in the 76th minute.

Mbappe struck again to make it 3–0, and Ekitike capped the night with his first international goal as Les Bleus secured the victory they needed to clinch qualification for the 2026 World Cup in North America.

The attacks in 2015 included explosions outside the Stade de France during a friendly between France and Germany. Didier Deschamps, who coached that match, remains in charge and is set to lead France to his final tournament before stepping down.

With one qualifier left to play against Azerbaijan on Sunday, France now holds an unassailable six-point lead over Iceland and Ukraine in Group D.

The 2018 champions and 2022 runners-up preserve their record of qualifying for every World Cup since missing the 1994 edition.

Ukraine and Iceland will meet on Sunday to decide who advances to the play-offs next March.