Didier Deschamps makes World Cup history as Mbappe fires France into quarter-finals

Didier Deschamps has etched his name into FIFA World Cup history after becoming the first manager ever to win 10 knockout stage matches in the tournament.

The France boss reached the landmark following his side’s 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup, where Kylian Mbappé once again delivered on the big stage.

Mbappé scored the decisive goal from the penalty spot after a VAR intervention awarded France a spot-kick for a foul on Désiré Doué. The captain kept his composure to beat goalkeeper Orlando Gill, sealing France’s place in the quarter-finals and extending their title charge.

Deschamps’ knockout mastery spans four World Cups:

2014: vs Nigeria (R16)

2018: vs Argentina (R16), Uruguay (QF), Belgium (SF), Croatia (Final – Champions)

2022: vs Poland (R16), England (QF), Morocco (SF)

2026: vs Sweden (R32), Paraguay (R16)

Across these tournaments, Deschamps has built one of the most dominant knockout records in modern football, guiding France to multiple semi-finals, a World Cup title in 2018, and another final appearance in 2022.

Once again, Mbappé proved decisive, taking his World Cup tally to 19 goals and moving within one of Lionel Messi’s all-time record. The French captain’s penalty also reinforced his status as France’s ultimate big-game player on the global stage.

France will meet Morocco in the quarter-finals next Thursday in Boston.

After defeating Croatia for the 2018 title, France lost to Argentina on penalty kicks in the 2022 final. Les Bleus are 5-0 in this year’s tournament, outscoring opponents 14-2.