France's Kylian Mbappe sets new World Cup records ...

By Ishaan Kapoor — 10 July 2026 — 4 min read

Kylian Mbappe of France has continued to make an impact at the World Cup, scoring a goal in their 2-0 quarter-final victory against Morocco in Boston. This goal brought him level with Lionel Messi for the most non-penalty goals in the tournament. Mbappe has either broken or equalled several records during this World Cup.

Mbappe’s World Cup and National Team Records

Mbappe has become France’s all-time top goal scorer. His goal against Senegal in France’s tournament opener saw him surpass Olivier Giroud. The forward now has 64 goals for the French national side, while Giroud has 57. Thierry Henry is third with 51 goals, and Antoine Griezmann is fourth with 44 goals.

He is also France’s leading goal scorer at the World Cup. His strike against Senegal was his 14th World Cup goal, surpassing Just Fontaine’s record of 13 goals, all of which were scored in the 1958 World Cup. He has since added six more goals to his tally.

Mbappe’s goal against Morocco made him level with Messi in the number of non-penalty World Cup goals. Both players have 17 non-penalty goals across their World Cup appearances. The goal in Boston also moved Mbappe to 20 overall goals at the World Cup, placing him one goal behind Messi on the all-time list.

In knockout matches, Mbappe has become the leading goal scorer in World Cup knockout matches. This achievement moved him past Brazilian players Leonidas and Ronaldo on the all-time list. He scored against Sweden, then against Paraguay and Morocco, accumulating 12 World Cup knockout goals.

Goal Contributions and Appearances

Mbappe’s assist for Ousmane Dembele’s goal against Morocco marked another record. He became the first player to achieve 11 direct goal contributions in two different World Cups. He had 10 goal contributions (eight goals and two assists) at the Qatar World Cup 2022 and has improved on those figures in the current tournament. He is the first player since records began in 1966 to reach 10 or more contributions in two separate tournaments.

Mbappe raises his arms in celebration — Kylian Mbappe has left records tumbling in his wake at the World Cup 2026 [Paul Childs Credit: aljazeera.com

Mbappe is now a joint record holder for the most appearances for France in World Cup finals, joining Hugo Lloris with 20 appearances. He is also the youngest player to reach this milestone. With the semi-finals approaching, he is expected to feature, potentially breaking this appearance record.

Golden Boot Race and Rivalry with Messi

Mbappe and Messi are currently level on goals in the FIFA World Cup 2026, but Mbappe leads the Golden Boot standings. Following France’s 2-0 quarter-final win over Morocco, Mbappe joined Messi with eight goals for the tournament. FIFA’s tiebreaking rules place Mbappe ahead in the race for the leading scorer award.

The Golden Boot is not determined solely by goals. FIFA uses a tiebreaking system that first considers assists. If players are still tied on assists, the award goes to the player who has played fewer minutes. Mbappe has eight goals and three assists, totaling 11 direct goal contributions. Messi also has eight goals but one assist, giving him nine goal contributions. This superior assist tally gives Mbappe the advantage.

Mbappe drew level with Messi during France’s quarter-final victory. He missed a penalty in the 27th minute, which was saved by Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. However, he scored in the 60th minute, giving France the lead. Ousmane Dembélé added a second goal six minutes later, securing France’s progression to the semi-finals.

Messi also missed a penalty during Argentina’s Round of 16 match against Egypt. His first-half spot-kick was saved by Mostafa Shobeir. He later equalized from open play in the 83rd minute, his eighth goal of the tournament, after assisting Cristian Romero’s earlier goal, contributing to a 3-2 victory. That assist against Egypt was Messi’s ninth career World Cup assist, moving him past Diego Maradona as the all-time World Cup assist leader.

The Golden Boot race remains open with several knockout matches still to be played. The current standings show Kylian Mbappe (France) with eight goals and three assists, Lionel Messi (Argentina) with eight goals and one assist, Erling Haaland (Norway) with seven goals, Harry Kane (England) with six goals and one assist, and Ousmane Dembélé (France) with five goals and two assists.

Beyond the Golden Boot, both players continue to achieve significant milestones. Mbappe’s goal against Morocco was his 20th career World Cup goal in 20 tournament appearances. He is one goal behind Messi, who leads the all-time men’s World Cup scoring chart with 21 goals in 31 appearances across six editions. Mbappe is also the first player since 1966 to register at least 10 goal contributions in two separate World Cups, having achieved 10 in Qatar 2022 and now 11 in 2026. These 11 goal contributions are the highest by a player in a single World Cup since Gerd Müller recorded 13 in 1970.

Mbappe has glided through the knockouts while Messi has survived from chaos Credit: nytimes.com

Mbappe’s latest goal also brought him to 14 career World Cup knockout-stage goal contributions, drawing him level with Messi for the most by any player in the modern era over the past six decades. The Golden Boot race is finely balanced on goals, but Mbappe’s three assists give him an edge as the tournament progresses into its decisive final rounds.

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