Coming into the World Cup, they were the favourites on paper. Three group stage matches and one knockout fixture later, having hammered 13 goals while conceding just two, France have proved they are overwhelming favourites on the pitch as well.Didier Deschamps’ men have been so wildly creative, so brutally ruthless, and so perfectly locked into each other’s vision that their win margins — 3-0 against a Sweden made to look pedestrian and hapless in the round of 32, for example — seem utterly insufficient to capture the true extent of their dominance. Sixnil would have been closer; they hit the post thrice, and Kylian Mbappé had another ruled out for offside by a quarter of an inch.“There’s no shame in losing to a team like this,” Sweden coach Graeme Potter said after the match. “I’ve, personally, never seen a team as good.”Also Read | FIFA 2026: Mbappe scores twice to tie Messi for World Cup lead as France beats Sweden 3-0France are scary good. To watch them play is to be mesmerised — perhaps this is what it felt like walking into the First Impressionist Exhibition in 1874 at the Boulevard des Capucines. If they go all the way, they will be compared to the greatest teams in the history of football — Brazil in 1970, or Zinadine Zidane’s France that won the 1998 World Cup, with current coach Deschamps an integral part of that squad.For the moment, they go from one astonishing win to another, led by their Fab Four: the world’s most complete forward in Kylian Mbappé, the world’s best attacking midfielder in Michael Olise, Ballon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembélé, and interchangeably, either Désiré Doué or Bradley Barcola, both masters of pace and trickery.Against Sweden, Mbappé set yet another record, as he has in every other match here, becoming the leading goalscorer in World Cup knockouts with 10 goals. With 18 goals overall, Mbappé now trails only Lionel Messi (19) on the all-time list. No number or record can capture just how electrifying he has been: blisteringly quick, clever, artistic and brutal all at the same time. Muhammad Ali’s iconic line, “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee”, now fits Mbappé just as well.Also Read | FIFA World Cup 2026: Martinelli's 96th-minute stunner rescues Brazil, shocks Japan in thrillerOne Mbappé seems enough for one team — look at what Messi is doing with Argentina — but France’s cup is overflowing with the finest vintage. Olise slinks and glides, pirouettes and shimmers behind Mbappé, controlling all of France’s midfield, and most of the attack. His touchmap resembles a pointillist painting, its dots covering the whole canvas of the pitch, except the area patrolled by his own centrebacks. In the 84 minutes he was on the pitch, he took 94 touches spread all around, passed with 91% accuracy, assisted two goals — taking his tournament t o t a l to five, with only Pele (six in 1970) recording more at a single World Cup — created two more big chances, took six shots, including an acrobatic overhead kick that hit the post.Dembélé and Mbappé have combined for six goals so far in the tournament — four assists from Dembélé to Mbappé, and two the other way — the most by any duo in World Cup history.This team is so good that their two deep-lying playmakers — Aurelian Tchouameni, Real Madrid midfield general and one of the best defensive midfielders in the game, and the experienced, canny Adrien Rabiot — are all but invisible.Meanwhile, Rayan Cherki, whose season at Manchester City made jaws drop, barely gets any minutes, and even the most ardent supporters would find it hard to find him a spot in the starting XI.There is more than magical playing skills that unite this French team. They are also here to avenge their loss to Argentina in the final of the last World Cup, a match considered one of the greatest in the tournament’s history. Mbappé scored a hat-trick but still could not take France past Messi’s Argentina. Many of the players from that final — Mbappé, Dembélé, Tchouameni, and Rabiot, and coach Deschamps — are still driving the show, with the likes of Olise, Barcola, Doue, and Cherki bringing in a fresh burst of oxygen.This is also a team united behind Deschamps, whose remarkable tenure, which began in 2012, has seen France become World Cup winners and World Cup finalists in consecutive tournaments, with a UEFA Nations League title in between. Deschamps lost his mother and flew back to France for her funeral, missing their final group-stage match against Norway. Back in the dugout for the Sweden game, Mbappé ran to him after scoring and wrapped him in an embrace. There is emotion. There is motivation. They are brothers-in-arms. And they are clearly enjoying the beauty and wizardry of their own game. Deschamps, whose managerial career with France has been marked by a tight-fisted restraint even as he has worked with generation after generation of atrociously skilled players, seems to have found the freedom to let the beauty of his players shine through, without sacrificing the efficiency of his winning formula.There is still a long way to go, all of it unpredictable, before this extraordinary side can come within touching distance of the World Cup trophy. But as long as it lasts, enjoy the magic of France.(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com.)