Kylian Mbappé steps into the 2026 FIFA World Cup with the chance to add another chapter to what is already one of football’s greatest international careers. Still only 27, the France captain is playing in his third World Cup and is already among the top scorers in the tournament’s history. After a two-goal performance in France’s 3-1 victory over Senegal in their Group I opener at the MetLife Stadium on June 17, Mbappé has already rewritten part of the record books and is within touching distance of several more French, World Cup and all-soccer records.Here are all the major records that Mbappé could break, match or extend during the 2026 World Cup.
1. Become France’s all-time top goalscorer.
The most immediate record within Mbappé’s reach was France’s all-time scoring record.He entered the tournament with 56 goals in 98 caps for the French national team, just one behind Olivier Giroud’s record of 57.However, Mbappé’s brace against Senegal, a 66th-minute strike followed by a stoppage-time goal, took him to 58 international goals and moved him ahead of Giroud as France’s leading goalscorer.France’s All-Time Goal Scorers:
- Kylian Mbappe – 58 goals
- Olivier Giroud – 57 goals
- Thierry Henry – 51 goals
- Antoine Griezmann – 44 goals
- Michel Platini – 41 goals
At just 27 years old, Mbappé now owns the record and looks set to extend it significantly in the coming years.
2. Be France’s top World Cup goal scorer.
Mbappé is also on course to surpass one of the most famous records in French football history.Just Fontaine’s 13 goals during the 1958 World Cup stood as France’s World Cup scoring benchmark for almost seven decades and still holds the record for the most goals scored by a player in a single World Cup. Mbappé entered the 2026 tournament with 12 World Cup goals and surpassed Fontaine’s French total by scoring twice against Senegal, taking his tally to 14 and setting a new national record.France’s All-Time World Cup Goal Scorers:
- Kylian Mbappé – 14 goals
- Just Fontaine – 13 goals
- Thierry Henry – 6 goals
- Zinedine Zidane – 5 goals
- Michel Platini – 5 goals
- Olivier Giroud – 5 goals
With his brace against Senegal, Mbappé has already surpassed Fontaine to become France’s leading scorer in World Cup history.
3. Be the highest goal scorer in the World Cup.
Perhaps the greatest individual record available to Mbappé is the overall World Cup scoring record.Germany legend Miroslav Klose currently leads the way with 16 goals, but Mbappé is already remarkably close, despite only being in his third tournament.All World Cup Goal Scorers:
- Miroslav Klose (Germany) – 16 goals
- Ronaldo (Brazil) – 15 goals
- Kylian Mbappé (France) – 14 goals
- Jared Müller (Germany) – 14 goals
- Just Fontaine (France) – 13 goals
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 13 goals
- Pele (Brazil) – 12 goals
Mbappé now needs:
- 1 goal to tie with Ronaldo
- 2 goals to move level with Miroslav Klose
- He became the leading scorer in the history of the World Cup by scoring 3 goals.
Given that he has already started the tournament with two goals, another deep French run could see the record go from strength to strength.
4. Extending his record for most goals scored in a World Cup final
Unlike many of the records on this list, this one Mbappé already owns. He scored once in France’s 4–2 victory over Croatia in the 2018 World Cup final and then scored a hat-trick against Argentina in the 2022 final, the greatest performance in World Cup finals history.This gave him four goals in World Cup finals, the most of any player.Most goals scored in a World Cup final:
- Kylian Mbappe – 4 goals
- Geoff Hurst – 3 goals
- Wawa – 3 goals
- Yellow – 3 goals
- Zinedine Zidane – 3 goals
- Gino Colaussi – 2 goals
- Silvio Piola – 2 goals
- Helmet mortgage – 2 goals
- Mario Kempes – 2 goals
- Paul Breitner – 2 goals
- Ronaldo – 2 goals
- Lionel Messi – 2 goals
If France reach another final, Mbappé will have the chance to extend a record that already holds him alone in football history.
5. Be the first player to win the Golden Boot twice.
Another unique achievement is at hand.Mbappé won the Golden Boot at the 2022 World Cup after scoring eight goals during France’s run to the final.No player has ever won the Golden Boot twice, with each World Cup since the award’s inception producing a different top scorer.His two goals against Senegal have given him an early lead in the race for the 2026 Golden Boot, and if he finishes as the tournament’s top scorer, he will become the first player in the World Cup’s more than 90-year history to win the award on two separate occasions.
6. Become a two-time World Cup winner.
France won the World Cup in 2018 before finishing as runners-up to Argentina in 2026. If Les Bleus go all the way in 2026, Mbappé will claim a second World Cup title, joining a very exclusive group of players who have won multiple World Cups.Along with teammates Lucas Hernandez, N’Golo Kante and Ousmane Dembele, Mbappé could become the first French player to win two World Cups as a player.
7. Became only the second player to reach three World Cup finals in three matches.
Very few players have managed to reach the World Cup finals in three consecutive tournaments.Only one player has ever done it: Brazilian legend Cafu (1994, 1998, 2002).Mbappé has already appeared in the 2018 and 2022 finals.If France reach the final again in 2026, they will become only the second to achieve the feat.
8. Be the first player to score in three consecutive World Cup finals.
This may be the rarest achievement available to him.Mbappé scored against Croatia in the 2018 final and then scored three times against Argentina in the 2022 final.If France reach the final again and Mbappé finds the net, he will become the first player in football history to score in three consecutive World Cup finals. No player has been able to achieve this feat before.
The legacy of the World Cup is already one of the greatest ever.
Even before the knockout rounds begin, Mbappé’s World Cup resume is extraordinary.At just 27 years old, he already has:
- World Cup winner’s medal from 2018
- World Cup runner-up medal from 2022
- 14 World Cup goals
- Four goals in the World Cup final
- Golden Boot from 2022
- Participation in two World Cup finals
- France’s all-time goalscoring record
Most athletes spend their entire careers hoping to achieve one of these milestones.Mbappé has already broken Olivier Giroud’s France scoring record and has overtaken Just Fontaine to become France’s top scorer at the World Cup. He is now just two goals behind Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup record and one behind Ronaldo’s tally of 15.France still have a long way to go in the tournament, with each appearance of Mbappé taking another piece of football history.
