The 2026 World Cup is only 10 days old but the tournament has already rewritten football history. Lionel Messi’s stunning hat-trick in Argentina’s opening 3-0 win over Algeria moved the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner level with Miroslav Klose at the top of the all-time World Cup goalscoring standings. Both now have 16 goals, though Messi took 27 games to reach the mark – three more than Klose – but the 2022 World Cup winner will not mind. Messi, who won the Golden Ball for best player at the last tournament, now stands poised to move out in front on his own. His next target? Austria in Group J, and a chance to break the record outright.
Kylian Mbappe, lurking close behind with 14 World Cup goals, is also rewriting records. The France captain is now his country’s all-time leading scorer with 58 goals, and could well have the World Cup goals record in his sights himself. Mbappe has already won the Golden Boot once – in Qatar in 2022 with eight strikes – and is bidding to become the first player to win multiple World Cup Golden Boots. He faces fierce competition from England’s Harry Kane, who won the prize in 2018 with six goals.
“Messi equalled Klose's 16 World Cup goals with a hat-trick; Kane drew level with Lineker on 10.”
Kane, not to be outdone, scored twice in England’s 4-2 win over Croatia in Dallas to draw level with Gary Lineker as England’s all-time leading scorer at World Cup finals on 10 goals. With Ghana to come next, Kane might not remain level with Lineker for long. The Croatia match also marked Kane’s 115th England appearance, moving him level with David Beckham among the country’s most-capped players. Kane became just the second England player – after Beckham in 1998, 2002 and 2006 – to score at three different World Cups.
Erling Haaland, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe all came out of the blocks firing in their opening fixtures, and as the World Cup’s biggest hitters prepare for their second appearances at the first 48-team competition, records aplenty look ready to fall. With Messi, Mbappe and Kane all on the hunt, the history books are being rewritten before our eyes.