Mbappé in the Elite 10-Goal Club of a Single World Cup

Sports Desk: Before the 2026 FIFA World Cup began, German legend Miroslav Klose had held the all-time World Cup scoring record for 12 years. This tournament has since turned the chase for that record into a thrilling battle. Although Lionel Messi still has the final to play, Kylian Mbappé has moved ahead of the Argentine superstar in the race to finish as the top scorer of the 2026 World Cup following the third-place playoff.

Saturday night’s third-place match between France and England was largely a consolation fixture. While it still carried significance, both teams struggled to hide their disappointment after missing out on the final. At Miami Stadium, England claimed third place with a thrilling 6-4 victory, inspired by Bukayo Saka’s hat-trick.

Mbappé scored twice in the 48th and 66th minutes, both from assists by Michael Olise. The brace took his tally to 10 goals in the tournament, lifting him above Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. Messi currently has eight goals and four assists in the competition.

With France still having one final match to play before their campaign ended, Messi knew his lead in the Golden Boot standings was under threat and had every reason to follow the England-France clash closely. Mbappé entered the match trailing Messi in assists, but finished with one assist to draw level on four while taking his goal tally into double figures.

The French captain also became only the fourth player in FIFA World Cup history to score at least 10 goals in a single edition of the tournament.

The record for the most goals in a single World Cup remains 13, set by French legend Just Fontaine in 1958. Hungary’s Sándor Kocsis scored 11 goals in 1954, while German great Gerd Müller netted 10 in 1970. Mbappé has now joined that exclusive group by reaching the 10-goal mark at the 2026 World Cup.