Philadelphia: The French national team qualified for the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup after its difficult victory over the Paraguayan national team, with a single goal in the match that brought them together, today, Sunday, at the 'Philadelphia' stadium, as part of the round of 16 competitions of the tournament. According to National Iraqi News Agency, the first half of the match was goalless, with the French team dominating possession, but their stars, led by Kylian Mbappé, failed to break down Paraguay's defense. Paraguay, on the other hand, relied on counter-attacks, which posed little threat to French goalkeeper Maignan. In the second half, Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé scored the winning goal for Les Bleus in the 70th minute from a penalty kick, bringing his tally to 7 goals and putting him joint top scorer in the 2026 World Cup alongside Argentine star Lionel Messi. He also increased his overall World Cup goal total to 19, second only to Messi's 20. France will face Morocco in the quarter-fi nals after the Atlas Lions secured a resounding 3-0 victory over Canada.