France vs. Sweden: Is Michael Olise the best player at World Cup 2026 after 3-0 win takes Les Bleus into round of 16?

France secured their place in the round of 16 at World Cup 2026 in impressive fashion on Tuesday night, thrashing Sweden 3-0 in their round of 32 tie at MetLife Stadium.

Didier Deschamps returned to Les Bleus' dugout after time away from the squad for personal reasons, and his team met him with a brilliant performance that will have opponents looking on in fear.

Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe was at the heart of the action once again, scoring twice, but he was arguably upstaged by Bayern Munich's Michael Olise, who delivered two assists while playing in the number 10 role.

Here, after France's win over Sweden, Sports Mole considers whether Olise is the best player at the World Cup, and takes a look at Les Bleus' chances of lifting the trophy.

Is France's Michael Olise the best player at World Cup 2026?

It was already established heading into the World Cup that France boasted an exceptional amount of talent in their squad, but it was widely accepted that Mbappe would be the star man for Deschamps.

However, after registering five assists across four games so far, Olise has positioned himself as the heart of his national team.

The 24-year-old was the provider for Bradley Barcola's strike just after half time, sliding the Paris Saint-Germain winger in behind the Sweden defence with a brilliant through ball, and he put Mbappe clear with a similar pass for his second of the day.

Olise came close to bagging a goal for himself on a number of occasions, hitting the post with an audacious acrobatic effort in the first half and missing a one-on-one in the second, but not finding the back of the net did little to take the shine off his performance.

Olise's two assists on Tuesday have put him level with Diego Maradona (five) in second place for most assists at a single World Cup, and just one more will see him match the tally from Pele's 1970 campaign (six) - the most ever.

Given that France will be overwhelming favourites up against Paraguay in the round of 16, the Bayern forward is likely to have at least two more games to equal and break the assist record, and doing so could serve as a marker to set him apart as the best player in the world.

A golden generation does not guarantee World Cup success

France seem unstoppable at the moment with their immense squad in full flow, but as many national teams can testify, a 'golden generation' does not always lead to success.

The most prominent example of a golden generation gone awry in recent years comes from Belgium, who had elite players such as Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, Romelu Lukaku, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen in the same cohort between the mid-2010s and early 2020s.

The Red Devils failed to deliver on the promise their side had on paper, missing out on every trophy up for grabs in their prime window, and fans look back on the years wondering what exactly went wrong.

In a similar vein, England famously had Steven Gerrard, Paul Scholes and Frank Lampard in the centre of the park, with the likes of John Terry and Rio Ferdinand at the back - and Wayne Rooney up top - yet still fell short of silverware.

This summer, France's front four of Mbappe, Olise, Barcola and Ballon d'Or holder Ousmane Dembele is undoubtedly the strongest group of attackers at the World Cup, while the rest of the squad are top-level players in their own right.

As a result, many have Les Bleus down as the favourites to win the tournament, something that could understandably add an element of pressure onto the two-time champions.

However, the players seem to relish the weight of expectation on their shoulders, and if they feel any pressure from beyond their camp, then they are excellent at hiding it.

France are more than just their star attackers at World Cup 2026

Deschamps's side are the top scorers at World Cup 2026 with 13 goals, and the firepower up front provided by their star names is difficult to overlook.

That being said, France's strength extends far beyond this summer's headline-grabbing players, a point that is best highlighted by the fact they have conceded just twice so far.

Such defensive resilience has been underpinned by Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni's disciplined displays as the anchor in the centre of the park, not to mention the pairing of Arsenal's William Saliba and Bayern's Dayot Upamecano at the heart of the backline.

Additionally, when looking at the bench on Tuesday, it would be fair to say that many of the options available to Deschamps could make the first XI of any other side at the World Cup.

Desire Doue is among the most talented young players in Europe, and he was brought on late in the game for Dembele, while Rayan Cherki - who was Manchester City's key creative outlet last season - was introduced with only five minutes to go.

To drive the point home further, PSG's Warren Zaire-Emery, who dominated Liverpool in the 2025-26 Champions League quarter-finals, has not yet taken to the pitch in North America.

That embarrassment of riches, and the fluidity with which they play, makes France the deserved favourites to win the World Cup over rivals such as Argentina, Spain and England.