France vs. Sweden: Is Michael Olise the best player at World Cup 2026 after 3-0 win takes Les Bleus into round of 16?

France secured their spot successful the circular of 16 astatine World Cup 2026 successful awesome manner connected Tuesday night, thrashing Sweden 3-0 successful their circular of 32 necktie astatine MetLife Stadium.

Didier Deschamps returned to Les Bleus' dugout aft clip distant from the squad for idiosyncratic reasons, and his squad met him with a superb show that volition person opponents looking connected successful fear.

Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe was astatine the bosom of the enactment erstwhile again, scoring twice, but helium was arguably upstaged by Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise, who delivered 2 assists.

Here, aft France's triumph implicit Sweden, Sports Mole considers whether Olise is the champion subordinate astatine the World Cup, and takes a look astatine Les Bleus' chances of lifting the trophy.

Is France's Michael Olise the champion subordinate astatine World Cup 2026?

It was already established heading into the World Cup that France boasted an exceptional magnitude of endowment successful their squad, but it was wide accepted that Mbappe would beryllium the prima antheral for Deschamps.

However, aft registering 5 assists crossed 4 games truthful far, Olise - a mostly unassuming quality - has positioned himself arsenic the look of his nationalist team.

The Bayern guardant was the supplier for Bradley Barcola's onslaught conscionable aft fractional time, sliding the Paris Saint-Germain winger successful down the Sweden defence with a superb done ball, and enactment Mbappe wide with a akin walk for his 2nd of the day.

Olise came adjacent to bagging a extremity for himself connected a fig of occasions, hitting the station with an audacious acrobatic effort successful the archetypal half, and missing a one-on-one successful the second, but that did small to instrumentality the radiance disconnected his performance.

Olise's 2 assists connected Tuesday person enactment him level with Diego Maradona (five) successful 2nd spot for astir assists astatine a azygous World Cup, and conscionable 1 much volition spot him spell level with the tally from Pele's 1970 run (six) - the astir ever.

Given that France volition beryllium overwhelming favourites up against Paraguay successful the circular of 16, the 24-year-old is apt to person astatine slightest 2 much games to adjacent and interruption the assistance record, and doing truthful could service arsenic a marker to acceptable him isolated arsenic the champion subordinate successful the world.

A aureate procreation does not warrant World Cup success

France look unstoppable astatine the moment, with their immense squad successful afloat flow, but arsenic galore nationalist teams tin testify, a 'golden generation' does not ever pb to success.

The astir salient illustration of a aureate procreation gone awry successful caller years is Belgium, who had the likes of Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, Romelu Lukaku, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertongen successful the aforesaid XI connected galore occasions.

The Red Devils failed to present connected their promise, missing retired connected each trophy up for grabs successful the mid-to-late 2010s, and fans look backmost connected the years wondering what precisely went wrong.

In a akin vein, England famously had Steven Gerrard, Paul Scholes and Frank Lampard successful the centre of the park, with the likes of John Terry and Rio Ferdinand astatine the back, and Wayne Rooney up top, yet inactive fell abbreviated of silverware.

This summer, France's beforehand 4 of Mbappe, Olise, Ballon d'Or holder Ousmane Dembele and PSG prima Barcola is undoubtedly the strongest radical of attackers astatine the World Cup, portion the remainder of the squad are top-level players successful their ain right.

However, Les Bleus look to relish the value of anticipation connected their shoulders, and if they consciousness immoderate unit from beyond their camp, past they are fantabulous astatine hiding it.

France are much than conscionable their prima attackers astatine World Cup 2026

Deschamps's broadside are the apical scorers astatine World Cup 2026 with 13 goals, and the firepower up beforehand provided by their prima names is hard to overlook.

That being said, France's spot extends acold beyond this summer's headline-grabbing players, a information that is champion highlighted by the information that they person conceded conscionable doubly truthful far.

Such antiaircraft resilience has been underpinned by Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni's showings arsenic the anchor successful the centre of the park, not to notation a centre-back pairing of Arsenal's William Saliba and Bayern's Dayot Upamecano.

Looking to the seat connected Tuesday, it would beryllium just to accidental that the options disposable to Deschamps would apt marque the archetypal XI of immoderate different broadside astatine the World Cup.

Desire Doue is among the astir talented young players successful Europe, and helium was brought connected precocious successful the crippled for Dembele, portion Rayan Cherki - who was Manchester City's cardinal originative outlet past play - was introduced with 5 minutes to go.

To thrust the constituent location further, PSG's Warren Zaire-Emery, who dominated Liverpool successful the 2025-26 Champions League quarter-finals, has not yet taken to the transportation successful North America.

That embarrassment of riches, and the fluidity with which they play, makes France the favourites to triumph the World Cup implicit rivals specified arsenic Argentina, Spain and England.