Kylian Mbappé to Play 100th Match as France Aims for FIFA World Cup 2026 Knockout Stage
Kylian Mbappé, the record-holder for the most goals scored for the national team, is set to play his 100th international match for France. During the FIFA World Cup 2026 match between France and Iraq, captain Mbappé will mark this milestone. He stated, “Playing for my country is always a matter of pride and happiness.” Following a 3-1 defeat to Norway in their opening match, Iraq feels the pressure to defeat France to advance to the knockout stage. Kathmandu, 8 Asar (Nepali calendar date). In the FIFA World Cup 2026, former runners-up France are preparing to face Iraq in their second game. The match will kick off at 2:45 AM Nepal time on Tuesday at the Philadelphia Stadium. This will be the first international meeting between France and Iraq.
As France faces Iraq, captain Mbappé will achieve his 100th national team appearance. France aims to secure consecutive wins and qualify for the knockout stage. In their opening match, Mbappé scored twice, helping France to a 3-1 victory over Senegal. With two goals against Senegal, Mbappé surpassed Olivier Giroud to become France’s highest-scoring player. Now, he is set to reach the milestone of 100 matches representing France.
Mbappé expressed that playing for the national team is a proud achievement surpassing all other considerations. He emphasized the great responsibility of representing 67 million French citizens on the world’s biggest stage. He commented, “100 matches is a historic number, and achieving this milestone at a major tournament like the World Cup makes this game even more significant for me.” He added that winning this match is essential to progress to the next stage.
Iraq has returned to the World Cup after 42 years and suffered a 3-1 defeat to Norway in their first match. Facing pressure to qualify for the knockout rounds, Iraq must defeat France. This is only Iraq’s second ever World Cup participation, and they have yet to win a World Cup match. In 1986, at the tournament held in Mexico, Iraq was eliminated after losing all three group stage games.
