Pre-tournament favourites France take on Sweden in what should be a fascinating round of 32 encounter at the 2026 World Cup, and you can follow the action with ESPN.
Les Bleus head into the knockout stage with a perfect tournament record in the group stage of three wins, scoring 10 and conceding twice. The Scandinavian side's form swung wildly in the groups, but they progressed as a third-placed finisher with four points.
- France vs. Sweden: Everything you need to know
- Dembele's hat trick comes at perfect time for France on their World Cup mission
France have looked one of the standout teams of the tournament so far, reaching the knockout stage with a perfect record from Group I. Didier Deschamps' side opened with a 3-1 win over Senegal before seeing off Iraq 3-0 and rounding off the group stage with a commanding 4-1 victory over Norway as Kylian Mbappé moved to four goals for the tournament.
Much of France's threat of Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, who have combined for eight goals in three matches. But their depth extends well beyond the pair in attack -- which counts Bradley Barcola, Michael Olise, Désiré Doué and Rayan Cherki among the options up front.
Sweden's journey has been rather less straightforward. Graham Potter's side burst into the tournament with a 5-1 win over Tunisia before suffering a heavy defeat by the same scoreline against the Netherlands. A 1-1 draw with Japan on the final matchday proved enough to send them through as one of the eight best third-placed teams.
While the two-time champions will head into this one as favourites, Sweden will know that they possess attacking firepower of their own -- with a Premier League-powered strike partnership Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres leading the line in the groups. The victor in New Jersey will meet Paraguay in the last 16 -- who sprung a stunning surprise on Monday by defeating Germany on penalties.