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Kylian Mbappe had said ahead of this World Cup that he intended to fully enjoy the experience. For his opponents, that declaration is proving to be a daunting prospect.

The French superstar netted his 17th and 18th career World Cup goals in France's commanding 3-0 round-of-32 victory over Sweden on June 30, inching closer to Lionel Messi's all-time tournament record. The 27-year-old, already a two-time world champion, embraced every high-stakes moment with visible relish.

After breaking the deadlock, Mbappe sprinted to the sideline to embrace manager Didier Deschamps, who had just rejoined the squad following his mother's passing—an absence that had kept him from the group-stage finale. Later, when substituted in the 85th minute, he soaked in a standing ovation, spinning around to acknowledge the roaring French supporters behind the north goal.

"I did say I wanted to enjoy this World Cup to the fullest," Mbappe said via an interpreter. "I'm not saying I didn't enjoy the previous ones, but I was younger then—more focused purely on delivering performances. Now I believe I can do both: perform at my best and truly savour the occasion."

With his fifth and sixth goals of the 2026 tournament, Mbappe pulled level with Messi in the Golden Boot race and moved within one goal of the Argentine legend's all-time World Cup tally. Given France's strong form and expected deep run, he appears on track to surpass his own impressive haul of eight goals from the 2022 tournament—where he scored a historic hat-trick in the final against Messi's Argentina, though France ultimately fell short. He also netted four times during their 2018 title-winning campaign.

"The goals make me happy, but that's not the main focus today," Mbappe said. "What matters is that we keep delivering strong performances."

Messi and Argentina are set to face Cape Verde on July 3 in Miami Gardens for their own round-of-32 clash.

Bradley Barcola added France's second goal early in the second half, with Michael Olise providing two assists on the night.

Deschamps' side now turn their attention to a July 4 meeting in Philadelphia with Paraguay, who stunned four-time champions Germany on penalties after a 1-1 draw on June 29.

"This match was crucial—the knockout stage is a fresh start," Mbappe said. "Now we have to focus on Paraguay. We've got another game to win."

For Sweden, the tournament ends after a turbulent campaign. They had opened with a 5-1 thrashing of Tunisia, only to lose by the same scoreline to the Netherlands, before drawing 1-1 with Japan to scrape through to the knockouts. It marked their first group-stage advancement in a major tournament since Euro 2020, having missed both the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024.

Sweden manager Graham Potter acknowledged the uphill battle: "We knew we'd have to be perfect. Honestly, even if we were, I'm not sure it would've been enough—the opponent was simply that good."

France dominated from the start, with both Mbappe and Olise rattling the woodwork and Olise forcing a spectacular low save from goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom. The pressure finally paid off in first-half stoppage time, when Olise and Ousmane Dembele combined from a short corner to set up Mbappe on the left. He cut back onto his right foot, evaded Viktor Gyokeres, and fired past Zetterstrom.

Barcola doubled the lead eight minutes after the restart, finishing coolly after running onto Olise's clever throughball that slipped through a defender's legs. Mbappe capped the scoring in the 74th minute, latching onto another incisive Olise pass and slotting home from a near-identical angle to his first goal.