N'Golo Kanté said it quietly, but he said it: "We cannot see ourselves too beautiful or too strong." Which tells you exactly how good France think they are right now.
Thirteen goals in four games. That's the kind of output that makes opposing coaches sound resigned before kick-off. After Sweden were eliminated 3-0 in the round of 32, their manager Graham Potter offered this: "We had to be perfect, and even if we were, I'm not sure that would have been enough." That's not a tactical debrief. That's a man who just watched something he couldn't stop.
Mbappé is the headline, Olise is the engine
Kylian Mbappé has six goals in this tournament, including two against Sweden. His sprint was once clocked at 23.6 mph — Usain Bolt's cruising speed in the 100-metre dash, for context. He now has 18 World Cup goals in 18 career games, one behind Lionel Messi's 19 in 29. The gap in appearances tells you everything about the trajectory.
But Mbappé might not even be France's most important player. That debate belongs to Michael Olise.
The 24-year-old attacking midfielder leads the entire tournament with five assists. His passes don't just find teammates — they dismantle defensive shapes. Bradley Barcola put it simply: Olise's performance "brings danger." When Olise's footwork feeds Mbappé's acceleration, defenders face an impossible choice. Most are getting it wrong.
What makes this France side genuinely compelling is the depth behind the obvious names. Olise, Barcola (23), and Désire Doué (21) are all making their World Cup debuts. All three are starring. Olise was born in London, grew up bilingual, and has spent the last year adapting to Bayern Munich and, apparently, Knödel. Barcola holds dual French-Togolese citizenship. Doué is the son of an Ivorian father. It's a squad that reflects a genuinely modern France — and they play like they've got nothing to prove and everything to win.
Paraguay on Saturday, quarterfinals in sight
France face Paraguay on Saturday as heavy favourites. The only real threat at this point is the one Kanté identified himself — a team that starts believing its own dominance is automatic. Mbappé already flagged that France played "timid" early in the tournament. If they find another gear with full confidence, the teams left in this bracket have a serious problem.
Thirteen goals in four games at a World Cup is not a fluke. Anyone pricing this market should be asking not whether France reach the final, but who — if anyone — can stop them when they get there.
