France advances, but Henry and Zlatan advise caution in the round of 16

Nine points, first place in a star-studded Group I and a place in the round of 16: it’s France’s dominant start to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

But the round of 16 brings higher stakes and a whole new level of competition: the winner moves on, the loser goes home. For Zlatan Ibrahimović of FOX Sports, this French team is in a category of its own.

“It’s a level. When they turn on, I don’t see many teams beating them. The only chance they invite their opponents to the match is when they relax and turn off,” Ibrahimović said after France’s 4-1 win over Norway. “It’s something else. Now everyone is eating. They’re a team to watch, they’re the favorites to win the World Cup. It’s on another level.”

The 2022 World Cup finalists won all three group stage matches against Norway, Senegal and Iraq and are +350 to win the tournament. In addition to their nine points, France scored 10 goals in total and conceded only two.

The France squad showed up and proved that they were the team to beat at the World Cup.

Star striker Kylian Mbappé is entering his second World Cup and is already on course to win another Golden Boot. In three matches, Mbappé has scored four goals – two against Iran and two against Senegal. In addition, striker Ousmane Dembélé added a hat trick to his World Cup record against Norway.

For Thierry Henry of FOX Sports, the French list speaks for itself, but leaves no room for maneuver before simple elimination.

“We all know the team we have and the bench we have. A new World Cup starts now for everyone. When you get to the round of 16, any mistake will cost you dearly,” Henry said after the victory. “It’s not like you have another game and another game, and you see how it goes. If you lose, you go home. So let’s see what happens. It was good to see some guys score goals, Dembélé scored more… It’s another World Cup. It’s a different type of competition right now for me personally.”

France continues its World Cup campaign on June 30 against Sweden at New York/New Jersey Stadium.