Rayan Cherki appeared to ignore France manager Didier Deschamps following France's 3-0 victory over Sweden in the Round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup on June 30. Forward Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, and Marcus Thuram are supporting Cherki.

Cherki, a 22-year-old midfielder for Manchester City and the France national team, has played 55 minutes across four substitute appearances for France at the tournament. He is an academy product from Olympique Lyonnais (OL).

Kylian Mbappé scored two goals in the match against Sweden. Michael Olise assisted two goals, recording 94 touches and 91% passing accuracy in 84 minutes. France will face Paraguay in the Round of 16. Paraguay defeated Germany in the Round of 32.

Deschamps said France won against Sweden "with a bit of a margin." Mbappé stated that after the victory at MetLife Stadium, the team's objective is to try to win on July 19.

France scored 13 goals and conceded two goals in their first four matches of the 2026 World Cup. They defeated Senegal, Iraq, and Norway in the group stage. France defeated Iraq 3-0 on June 23 in Philadelphia, a match that was delayed for over two hours due to a thunderstorm and heavy rain. Mbappé scored two goals against Iraq. France then defeated Norway 4-1 on June 26. Ousmane Dembélé scored a hat trick against Norway, while Erling Haaland was an unused substitute for Norway. Deschamps missed the France vs. Norway match to attend his mother's funeral.

Norway finished second in Group I of the 2026 World Cup and will face Ivory Coast in the Round of 32. The Round of 16 match between France and Paraguay will determine which team advances to face either Canada or Morocco in the quarter-finals. France won the World Cup in 2018 and were finalists in the 2022 tournament, which Argentina won.