2026 World Cup: Mbappé overtakes Ronaldo and closes in on Messi

22.06.26 FT World Cup

France

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With a brace in France’s 3-0 victory over Iraq, Kylian Mbappé once again etched his name in World Cup history, climbing alone into second place on the all-time top scorers’ list.

Kylian Mbappé continues his incredible rise in World Cup history. Scoring twice in Les Bleus’ dominant win over Iraq (3-0), the French captain took his World Cup tally to 16 goals, claiming sole possession of second place among the tournament’s all-time leading scorers.

Also read: 2026 World Cup / Senegal, France…: Group I standings after the second matchday

Indeed, the French forward has now surpassed Brazil’s Ronaldo, who remains on 15 goals. Even more impressively, the Real Madrid star is closing in on the record held by Lionel Messi, who leads the chart with 18 goals.

But beyond this new milestone, the Real Madrid striker underlines his phenomenal form by notching a second consecutive brace in this 2026 World Cup.

Mahdi Zakaria LAZRI |

Editor

Football web writer creating digital sports content with a focus on news, analysis and stories that reflect passion, accuracy and objectivity.

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