The Kylian Mbappe World Cup goals record is now the outright record, and it arrived in the most chaotic game of the tournament. France's captain scored twice in a 6-4 defeat to England in Saturday's third-place play-off in Miami to reach 22 career World Cup goals, moving one clear of Lionel Messi, who had taken the all-time mark off Miroslav Klose only four weeks earlier. Mbappe is 27 years old and has needed just 22 World Cup matches to get there.
The two goals also lifted him to 10 for this tournament and back to the top of the Golden Boot standings, although Messi can still answer that in Sunday's final against Spain. For the full story of how the previous record fell, see our report on Messi breaking the World Cup goals record against Austria.
The record in brief
- 22 career World Cup goals for Mbappe, one more than Messi
- 22 World Cup matches taken to reach the mark, across 2018, 2022 and 2026
- 10 goals at this tournament, his best return at a single finals
- 19 of his 22 have come from open play, also a record
How Mbappe broke the World Cup record
Nothing about the afternoon looked like a record-breaking one for the first 45 minutes. France, the 2018 winners, were 4-0 down at half time to a much-changed England side, their worst start to any match at a World Cup, with Bukayo Saka scoring a hat-trick.
Mbappe pulled one back three minutes after the restart to draw level with Messi on 21 career World Cup goals. Bradley Barcola made it 4-2 six minutes later, and in the 66th minute Mbappe struck again to stand alone at the top of the all-time list on 22, with France suddenly only 4-3 behind. Ousmane Dembele added a fourth, his sixth World Cup goal, but England held on and won 6-4 to take third place.
It was a fittingly strange setting for a landmark. Mbappe had said before kick-off that this would be his last match of the tournament, France having lost 2-0 to Spain in the semi-final in a game where he was kept off the scoresheet for only the second time all summer.
Most World Cup goals of all time: the full ranking
Mbappe now sits one clear of Messi and six clear of Klose, whose 16 had stood as the record from 2014 until June this year. The table below is correct going into Sunday's final, in which Messi can still move back level or beyond.
| # | Player | Nation | Goals | Tournaments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kylian Mbappe (active) | France | 22 | 2018 to 2026 |
| 2 | Lionel Messi (active) | Argentina | 21 | 2006 to 2026 |
| 3 | Miroslav Klose | Germany | 16 | 2002 to 2014 |
| 4 | Ronaldo | Brazil | 15 | 1998 to 2006 |
| 5 | Gerd Muller | West Germany | 14 | 1970 to 1974 |
| 6 | Just Fontaine | France | 13 | 1958 |
| 7 | Pele | Brazil | 12 | 1958 to 1970 |
| 8 | Sandor Kocsis | Hungary | 11 | 1954 |
| 8 | Jurgen Klinsmann | Germany | 11 | 1990 to 1998 |
| 10 | Rahn, Cubillas, Lato, Lineker, Batistuta, T. Muller | Various | 10 | 1954 to 2014 |
Correct before the 2026 final between Spain and Argentina.
Twenty-two goals in twenty-two games
The raw number is one thing, the rate is another. Mbappe has scored 22 World Cup goals in 22 appearances at three tournaments, having turned 27 only last December. Messi's 21 came across six tournaments and two decades, from a first goal against Serbia and Montenegro in 2006 to a hat-trick against Algeria in the opening week of this competition.
Three of Mbappe's 22 have come from the penalty spot, leaving him on 19 from open play. That is also a record, and it is a mark he had previously shared with Messi, who is on 17.
His 10 goals at this tournament make him the first player to reach double figures at a single World Cup since Gerd Muller managed 10 in Mexico in 1970. Just Fontaine's 13 in 1958 and Sandor Kocsis' 11 in 1954 remain out of reach. Having scored eight in Qatar, Mbappe also becomes the first player to score at least eight goals at back-to-back World Cups.
The Golden Boot goes down to the final
Mbappe and Messi went into the last weekend of the tournament level on eight goals each. The brace in Miami put Mbappe on 10 and gave him the outright lead, but Messi has one game left.
FIFA separates players tied on goals by assists first, then by minutes played. On the assist counts going into the play-off, Messi held a narrow advantage, which means two goals in the final would be enough to draw level on 10 and take the award on the tiebreaker, while three would settle it outright. Mbappe won the Golden Boot in 2022 with eight goals; Messi, for all his medals, has never won it.
The records Mbappe has taken this summer
The all-time scoring mark is the headline, but it is not the only line in the ledger. Across the past five weeks Mbappe has:
- become the outright all-time leading goalscorer at the men's World Cup with 22;
- set a new record for non-penalty World Cup goals with 19;
- overtaken Olivier Giroud as France's all-time leading scorer in all competitions, with his second goal against Senegal in the opener;
- passed Just Fontaine's 13 to become France's leading World Cup scorer;
- moved level with, and then beyond, Hugo Lloris for the most World Cup appearances by a French player.
For the wider historical picture, our ranking of the top 10 all-time World Cup goalscorers sets out how the previous generations of record holders built their totals, and the full tournament-by-tournament breakdown lives on our highest goalscorers at World Cup finals page.
What makes the record unusual is that it may not settle for long. Messi will almost certainly retire from World Cup football after Sunday, but Mbappe will be 31 at the 2030 finals, and on his current rate a fourth tournament would put the mark somewhere no one else has been. Klose's 16 lasted 12 years. This one has already changed hands once in a month.
Frequently asked questions
The most common questions about the new World Cup goalscoring record, answered.
Who has scored the most World Cup goals of all time?
Kylian Mbappe, with 22 goals in 22 matches across the 2018, 2022 and 2026 tournaments. He overtook Lionel Messi, who is on 21, in the third-place play-off on 18 July 2026.
When did Mbappe break the World Cup goalscoring record?
On 18 July 2026, in France's 6-4 defeat to England in the third-place play-off in Miami. His goal in the 48th minute drew him level with Messi on 21 and his second in the 66th minute took him to 22.
How many World Cup goals has Lionel Messi scored?
Messi has 21 World Cup goals across six tournaments from 2006 to 2026. He broke Miroslav Klose's record of 16 with a brace against Austria on 22 June 2026 and can still add to his total in the final against Spain.
How many goals has Mbappe scored at the 2026 World Cup?
Ten, which is the highest single-tournament total since Gerd Muller scored 10 for West Germany in 1970.
How many of Mbappe's World Cup goals are penalties?
Three of his 22 have come from the penalty spot, leaving him with a record 19 non-penalty World Cup goals.
Who will win the 2026 Golden Boot?
Mbappe leads on 10 goals with his tournament finished. Messi, on eight, plays the final and would need two goals to draw level and win on the assists tiebreaker, or three to finish clear.