It was a night of thunderstorms in Philadelphia when France faced Iraq at the 2026 World Cup, but the storm that mattered most came from the boots of Kylian Mbappe. The Real Madrid superstar scored twice as Les Bleus cruised to a 3-0 victory, moving him to four goals for the tournament and 16 World Cup strikes in his career. That tally puts Mbappe just two behind the all-time record, held by Lionel Messi, who had broken the mark earlier that day.
Mbappe opened the scoring in stunning fashion after only 14 minutes. He received the ball on the edge of the area from Michael Olise and thumped a rocket past goalkeeper Ahmed Basil into the top corner. His second came from an embarrassing mix-up: defender Zaid Tahseen played a short goal kick to Basil, who miscontrolled, allowing Ousmane Dembele to square the ball to Mbappe for an easy tap-in. Adrien Rabiot missed a sitter, and Olise hit the crossbar, before Dembele sealed the win with a fine finish from Olise's outside-of-the-boot pass. The match itself was delayed for over two hours due to lightning and heavy rain, finishing almost four hours after kick-off, with ground staff working tirelessly to clear water from the pitch.
“Kylian Mbappe's World Cup goal-scoring feats and his chase of Lionel Messi's all-time record, explained.”
Kylian Mbappe first burst onto the global stage at the 2018 World Cup, scoring four goals as France won the trophy. At the 2022 tournament in Qatar, he took the Golden Boot with eight goals, including a hat-trick in the final against Argentina. His explosive pace, clinical finishing and big-game temperament have made him one of the most feared attackers in the world. Now 27, Mbappe is widely seen as the heir to the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo era. By the end of the 2026 World Cup, he could stand alone as the competition's greatest ever scorer. Messi moved to 18 goals during the group stage against Austria, surpassing the previous record of 16 held by Germany's Miroslav Klose. Mbappe matched Klose's tally with his double against Iraq.
For UK readers, the Mbappe-Messi record chase adds an extra layer of drama to every France match. Messi's record was long considered unbreakable, but Mbappe, still in his prime, has time on his side. Should France go deep in the 2026 tournament, he could equal or surpass Messi before the final. The World Cup is the pinnacle of international football, and seeing a new name atop the all-time scoring list is a historic moment that transcends club loyalties.
Q: How many World Cup goals does Kylian Mbappe have? As of France's 3-0 win over Iraq on 22 June 2026, Mbappe has 16 World Cup goals — four in 2018, eight in 2022, and four in 2026 so far.
Q: Who holds the record for most World Cup goals? Lionel Messi broke the record earlier on the same day, scoring twice against Austria to take his total to 18 goals. He surpassed Germany's Miroslav Klose, who had held the record at 16.
Q: Can Kylian Mbappe break the World Cup goal record? Yes. He is only two behind Messi and is just 27 years old. With France expected to go far in the 2026 tournament, he could equal or break the record in the knockout stages. He also has at least one more World Cup (2030) likely in his future.
What happens next? France's final group match will determine their path in the knockout rounds. Mbappe will have another chance to close the gap on Messi, who also remains in the tournament with Argentina. Despite his youth, Mbappe has already shown he thrives on the biggest stage — and the race to be the World Cup's all-time top scorer is far from over.