France booked their place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paraguay at Lincoln Financial Field.
Les Bleus dominated possession for much of the contest but found it difficult to break down a disciplined Paraguayan defence during a tightly contested first half, which ended goalless.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 67th minute when Désiré Doué won a penalty after being brought down inside the area.
Kylian Mbappe stepped up and calmly converted from the spot, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to hand France a deserved lead.
Paraguay pushed for an equaliser in the closing stages, but France remained solid defensively to preserve their slender advantage and secure progression to the last eight.
The victory sets up a mouth-watering quarter-final clash between France and Morocco on July 9, with a place in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at stake.
