France edged Paraguay 1-0 via a penalty to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup in the early hours of Sunday, Nigerian time.
The lone goal came in the 70th minute after Kylian Mbappe converted from the spot. VAR had awarded the penalty in the 65th minute following a foul by Paraguay’s Diego Gomez on Desire Doue. It was Mbappe’s 7th goal of the tournament, joint highest with Argentina’s Lionel Messi.
The match at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, was played before 68,324 spectators and Uzbekistani referee Ilgiz Tantashev. It mirrored France’s 1998 round of 16 victory over Paraguay at Lens, when Laurent Blanc scored in the 114th minute before 31,800 fans. France went on to win the 1998 trophy after beating Brazil 3-0 in the final.
That same year, Denmark eliminated Nigeria 4-1 in the round of 16, with Tijani Babangida scoring for Nigeria.
The 2026 result extended France’s dominance in the fixture. The two teams have met five times since 1958, with France winning three and drawing two, scoring 14 of the 16 goals. France won 7-3 at the 1958 World Cup, 1-0 in 1998, drew 0-0 in 2008 and 1-1 in 2014 in friendlies, and won 5-0 in a 2017 friendly.
France will face Morocco’s Atlas Lions in the quarterfinals on Thursday, July 9, at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Boston
