FIFA World Cup 2026: Mbappe overtakes Messi to become World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer
Brace in third-place playoff lifts Mbappe past Messi on all-time charts
France captain Kylian Mbappé made history at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, overtaking Lionel Messi to become the tournament’s all-time leading goalscorer.
Mbappe scored twice in the second half of France’s third-place playoff against England in Miami on Saturday, taking his World Cup tally to 22 goals — one ahead of Messi’s previous record of 21.
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France comeback sparked by Mbappe brace
France went into half-time trailing 4-0 but responded just three minutes after the restart.
In the 48th minute, Dayot Upamecano delivered a perfectly weighted pass into the penalty area, allowing Mbappe to calmly slot the ball into the bottom-right corner and draw level with Messi’s 21-goal mark.
After Bradley Barcola scored in the 54th minute, Mbappe struck again in the 66th minute to complete his record-breaking moment and bring France back into the contest at 4-3.
The goal came after Michael Olise produced a clever flick into Mbappe’s path. The France captain controlled the ball before firing a left-footed finish past goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
Messi had earlier claimed scoring record
Before the 2026 tournament, Miroslav Klose held the record as the FIFA World Cup’s leading goalscorer.
Messi surpassed the German striker after scoring his first World Cup hat-trick in Argentina’s opening match against Algeria. He added further goals against Austria, Jordan, Cabo Verde and Egypt to move ahead in the rankings.
Mbappe leads Golden Boot race
Mbappe entered the 2026 World Cup with 12 career World Cup goals and had scored eight times before the third-place playoff against England.
His two-goal performance took his tournament tally to 10 goals, placing him at the top of the Golden Boot standings.
Messi remains second in the race with eight goals.
