Ousmane Dembele achieved an incredible career accomplishment as he joined Kylian Mbappe to help France cruise to a 3-0 victory over Iraq in Matchday 2 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Monday night.
Dembele is going through the third World Cup of his international career with France. He didn’t play in the 2018 World Cup where his nation won the trophy but became a full-time starter by the 2022 tournament.
While delivering valuable plays for France to reach the final in 2022, one thing that Dembele failed to do at the time was scoring a goal. 2026 marked the best opportunity for him to do that, especially after winning the Ballon D’Or as the best performing player in Europe throughout the 2025-26 campaign.
Luckily for the star winger, Dembele got on the scoresheet for France during the second half against Iraq. He landed a solid strike on the ball as it got past the goalie and went into the back of the net, gifting him the first World Cup goal of his career.
Ousmane Dembele extends France's lead to 3-0
It's his first ever FIFA World Cup goal
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— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 23, 2026
What’s next for Ousmane Dembele, France after beating Iraq
Ousmane Dembele is proud to obtain his first World Cup goal. Not only that, but he also got to see Kylian Mbappe score twice in France’s victory over Iraq in Matchday 2.
Iraq stood out as massive underdogs in the biggest Group of Death in the tournament. They suffered a 4-1 loss to Norway in the opener but hoped to play better despite facing France. However, Dembele and the team had other plans as they outmatched the Iraqis throughout the Matchday 2 clash.
France maintains its grip on first place in the Group I standings, having six points and counting after two matches. They are above Norway, Senegal and Iraq at the moment.
France will look to secure the top spot in the group with a win in its group finale. They prepare for a clash against Norway on June 26 at 3 p.m. ET.
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