Mbappe Surpasses Messi to Become World Cup All Time Leading Goalscorer

Kylian Mbappe has written a new chapter in FIFA World Cup history by becoming the tournament’s all time leading goalscorer. The France captain reached the landmark after scoring twice against England in the third place playoff, moving ahead of Lionel Messi’s previous record.

Although France lost the match 6 to 4, Mbappe’s outstanding performance became the biggest talking point of the game. His two goals took his overall World Cup tally to 22, making him the highest scorer in the competition’s history.

The achievement came in just 22 World Cup appearances, giving Mbappe an impressive record of one goal per match. His consistent performances throughout the tournament have also kept him at the top of the Golden Boot standings with 10 goals, placing him two goals ahead of Messi.

Before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the all time scoring record belonged to Miroslav Klose. During the tournament, Messi first moved past Klose after matching his tally with a hat trick against Algeria before adding more goals against Austria, Jordan, Cape Verde and Egypt to set a new benchmark.

Mbappe, however, did not allow that record to stand for long. After scoring 12 goals across the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, he added another 10 goals during the 2026 edition. His goals came against Senegal, Iraq, Sweden, Paraguay, Morocco and finally England, helping him establish a new all time record.

With 10 goals in only eight matches at this World Cup, Mbappe is also closing in on another historic achievement. Only Hungary legend Sandor Kocsis with 11 goals and France great Just Fontaine with 13 goals have scored more in a single World Cup tournament. Mbappe’s remarkable consistency continues to strengthen his place among football’s greatest World Cup performers.