Rabat – Kylian Mbappé took another major step into football history on Tuesday, June 22, after scoring twice in France’s win over Iraq at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, drawing level with former Germany striker Miroslav Klose with a score of 16 World Cup goals.
The brace added another remarkable story of the greatest scoring careers the competition has ever witnessed.
Scoring at the World Cup has historically always been a challenge for the world’s greatest strikers. The limited number of matches, the quality of the opposing team, and the huge pressure of a whole nation watching and waiting for the title on the players and their head coaches have been an obstacle for many of the greatest strikers from etching their names on World Cup scoring charts.
Yet Mbappé has made football’s biggest stage his favorite, consistently leaving everyone in shock with his amazing performances and finishing skills whenever the competition comes around.
The French forward first started his chapter at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, scoring four goals and contributing to France’s title win. Among those goals was one in the final match against Croatia, making him among the youngest players ever to score in a World Cup final.
Mbappé’s popularity grew even more in 2022, when he scored eight goals in the Qatar World Cup to finish as the tournament’s top scorer and win the Golden Boot. His hat-trick against Argentina in the final made his performance one of the most memorable individual performances in World Cup history.
The 2026 tournament has seen the France captain maintain his remarkable style of play. His brace against Iraq increased his tally for the current competition to four goals and brought his overall World Cup total to 16.
Across three World Cups, Mbappé has now scored 16 goals. Very few players in football history have managed to maintain a high scoring rate across multiple editions of the tournament.
With France still among the leading contenders for the title, according to many football analysts, Mbappé could have several opportunities to add to his tally before the tournament comes to an end. Having already matched Klose’s total, the French star now finds himself just two goals away from equaling Lionel Messi’s record and three away from breaking it and becoming the highest goal scorer in World Cup history.
For a player still in his prime years, the possibility of breaking this record is highly anticipated, and it is no longer a question of whether he will, but when.
