France cruised into the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a commanding 3-0 victory over Sweden in the round of 32, prompting Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville to declare Les Bleus "a level above" every other team remaining in the tournament.

Captain Kylian Mbappe scored twice at New York New Jersey, with Bradley Barcola netting the other goal to seal a dominant display. Mbappe's brace drew him level with Lionel Messi at the top of the Golden Boot standings, and Neville reserved special praise for the forward both at half-time and after the final whistle.

"It's a real statement," Neville told ITV Sport. "We know they're the favourites for the tournament, but what we saw was precision, devastation. It's a level above. Brazil won in the last minute, Germany and the Netherlands went out. They're just showing everybody in this round how to do it."

Mbappe and Michael Olise were relentless in attack, offering Sweden's manager Graham Potter's side little prospect of a comeback. Neville highlighted the fear factor posed by France's front four — Mbappe, Olise, Ousmane Dembele, and Barcola — insisting no defender in the tournament has an answer for them.

"Those four that started the game will cause nightmares for every single defender at this tournament and I don't know how you stop that," Neville said. "Everything they do is emphatic. It's brilliant to watch and it's the best performance so far in the tournament."

The Sky Sports analyst went further, arguing Didier Deschamps' side have set a standard so high that failure to lift the trophy would be a major disappointment. "There's a long way to go, but you're looking at them now thinking 'you'll let yourselves down if you don't win this' because they're so far ahead of every other team in terms of level," he added.

Neville's admiration was sharpest when discussing Mbappe himself, drawing a striking comparison to the Brazilian Ronaldo. "Watching Mbappe in that first half, he reminds me of the Brazilian Ronaldo. It's utterly petrifying," he said. "He's just a level above. He's on the verge of greatness."

France now face Paraguay — who eliminated Germany — in the quarter-final round of 16 on Saturday in Philadelphia.