Ukraine-France: Summary of Les Bleus' successful start to the 2026 World Cup qualifying match

The French national team kicked off its qualifying campaign for the next FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026, with a victorious start. Thanks to goals from Michael Olise and Kylian Mbappé, Les Bleus beat Ukraine 2-0 on Friday, September 5, at the Municipal Stadium in Wrocław, Poland, despite a second half that was much less successful than the first.

Dominant and diligent during the first 45 minutes, Didier Deschamps' men, reigning vice-world champions and third in the last Nations League, retreated after the break, conceding chances that Mike Maignan saved, while also being assisted by his post. Coming into the game, Paris Saint-Germain striker Ousmane Dembélé was taken off injured. France are second in Group D before facing Iceland at home on Tuesday, September 9, who beat Azerbaijan comfortably (5-0).

In a midfield in search of key players, Manu Koné started the match in place of Adrien Rabiot, who had not played since his last match with Olympique de Marseille on August 15. The AS Roma player, who is very prominent and complements Aurélien Tchouaméni, scored again points with Didier Deschamps, with an eye on the upcoming World Cup.

0-1, 10th: Served on the left side by a long pass from Michael Olise, Bradley Barcola fixes his direct opponent and enters the box before waiting for a solution. With a clever back pass, the winger finds his teammate who finishes with the flat of his foot.

0-2, 82nd ^minute : Kylian Mbappé, who had a disappointing performance so far, took advantage of a good pass from his club partner, Aurélien Tchouaméni, to score the second goal. The French captain beat Paris Saint-Germain defender Illya Zabarnyi to beat goalkeeper Anatoli Troubine with a clear right-footed shot into the side netting.

• The sentence. " To reach these kinds of figures so early is incredible," Kylian Mbappé told TF1.

By making the break at the end of the match, the Real Madrid striker scored his 51st goal for France, at just 26 years old, thus equaling Thierry Henry as the second-highest scorer in the history of the French team. Olivier Giroud (57 goals) is now only six points behind. " The record is getting closer, but it's not something I'm thinking about," Kylian Mbappé, who says he is focused on winning new trophies, assured.

Had Les Bleus continued their first-half momentum, the match would certainly have deserved a better grade. But Didier Deschamps' players didn't finish their chances well enough and, above all, had a disappointing second half. Ukraine's chances and the few hiccups felt by the French defense lead us to award this match a "C+" on our sports grading scale ranging from "A" to "E" .