France were awarded a penalty in the round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup against Paraguay in Philadelphia on Saturday.
Desire Doue fell in the penalty area in the 65th minute of the match, with the match still scoreless. The referee initially waved play-on and chased away the French players’ calls.
But the decision was reversed after the intervention of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). The jury decided that the Paris Saint-Germain striker was tripped in the penalty area by Paraguayan midfielder Diego Gomez, leading to a reversal of the original decision.
Kylian Mbappe calmly slotted home the penalty to give France the lead, scoring his seventh goal of the campaign.
The winner of the eighth finals will face Morocco in the quarter-finals.
Published on July 5, 2026
