France wins 4 - 0 against Ukraine and qualifies for the 2026 World Cup at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, on November 13, 2025. FRANCK FIFE / AFP
Kylian Mbappé hit a brace while Michael Olise and Hugo Ekitiké also scored as France beat Ukraine 4-0 on Thursday, November 13, to secure World Cup qualification after an evening marked by tributes to the victims of the 2015 Paris attacks.
Captain Mbappé coolly chipped in from the spot 10 minutes into the second half at the Parc des Princes and the impressive Olise doubled their lead on 76 minutes. Mbappé then struck again and Ekitike swept in a first goal for his country as France got the win they required to clinch their spot at the 2026 finals in North America.
A moment of silence was observed ahead of kick-off by the 41,000 spectators as France marked the 10th anniversary of the attacks in and around Paris on Friday, November 13, 2015. Most of the 132 people killed in the attacks lost their lives at the Bataclan concert hall in the capital. One person died near the Stade de France in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, where multiple explosions took place as suicide bombers attempted to enter the ground during a friendly between Les Bleus and Germany. Two later died by suicide.
