Who will France play in Round of 32? Possible World Cup bracket opponents

PHILADELPHIA — Kylian Mbappé and France have clinched their spot in the knockout round of the 2026 World Cup.

Les Bleus secured their spot in the Round of 32 with a 3-0 win over Iraq at Lincoln Financial Field on Monday, June 22 behind another brace from Mbappé and a goal in the 66th minute from Ousmane Dembélé.

It's the fourth consecutive World Cup that France has advanced to the knockout round, and the sixth time in the last eight tournaments.

France has opened up its redemption tour with back-to-back wins over Senegal and Iraq. With its six points in Group I, France for the moment sits atop the group in first place, though Norway still has to play Senegal later tonight in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

With one group stage left against Norway on Friday in Boston, Mbappé will have a chance to tie or break Lionel Messi's all-time World Cup scoring record that he set earlier on Monday at AT&T Stadium against Austria. Mbappé will head into the match vs. Erling Haaland and Norway with 16 career World Cup goals, two shy of Messi's 18.

But who and when will France play in the knockout round? Who are potential opponents?

Here's what to know:

Who will France play in World Cup Round of 32?

Though France has secured a spot in the Round of 32 with its win over Iraq on Monday, there remains some uncertainty about its actual situation for the knockout round.

Should France win Group I, it will face a third-place team from either Group C, D, F, G or H on Tuesday, June 30 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Possible teams include:

• Group C: Scotland
• Group D: Australia or Paraguay
• Ground F: Sweden
• Group G: Egypt, Belgium, Iran or New Zealand 
• Group H: Cape Verde, Uruguay or Saudi Arabia

Should France finish as the runner-up in Group I, it will face the runner-up out of Group E on June 30 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The current runner-up for Group E is the Ivory Coast, which has the head-to-head tiebreaker with Ecuador should both teams finish tied for second place in the standings.