Kylian Mbappe has scored more goals at the FIFA World Cup than anyone in the tournament’s history. He finished the 2026 edition on 22 goals in 22 matches across three World Cups — four in 2018, eight in 2022 and ten in 2026.
The record changed hands at the 2026 World Cup in North America. Miroslav Klose had held it since 2014 on 16, and he lost it to two players in the same tournament: Lionel Messi passed him first, and Mbappe passed them both. Messi finished on 21.
Mbappe’s ten goals in 2026 also won him the adidas Golden Boot for the second World Cup running, making him the first player to win the award twice. He managed it in a tournament France did not reach the final of: they lost 2-0 to Spain in the semi-finals and then 6-4 to England in the third-place play-off, a match in which Mbappe scored twice.
Kylian Mbappe’s FIFA World Cup goals by tournament
| World Cup | Mbappe’s goals | France’s finish | Golden Boot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 4 | Winners | Harry Kane (England), 6 |
| 2022 | 8 | Runners-up | Kylian Mbappe, 8 |
| 2026 | 10 | Fourth | Kylian Mbappe, 10 |
| Total | 22 | — | — |
He was 19 at his first World Cup and 27 by the end of his third, so a fourth is plausible.
Every one of Kylian Mbappe’s World Cup goals
Goal 1 vs Peru | 2018 group stage
In France’s second group match, after a 2-1 win over Australia, Mbappe scored the only goal against Peru in the first half. At 19 he became France’s youngest goalscorer at a World Cup.
Goals 2 and 3 vs Argentina | 2018 round of 16
France met a Lionel Messi-led Argentina and won 4-3 in the best match of the tournament. Mbappe scored twice to send France to the quarter-finals.
Goal 4 vs Croatia | 2018 final
After blanks against Uruguay and Belgium in the quarter-final and semi-final, Mbappe scored France’s fourth in the final against Croatia. He finished the tournament with four goals in seven appearances and took the Young Player Award.
Goal 5 vs Australia | 2022 group stage
Four years on, Mbappe scored France’s third in a 4-1 win in their opening match of the title defence.
Goals 6 and 7 vs Denmark | 2022 group stage
France became the first holders in a while to win their first two matches, and Mbappe’s second-half brace settled a 2-1 win over Denmark.
Goals 8 and 9 vs Poland | 2022 round of 16
Mbappe assisted Olivier Giroud’s record-breaking goal for France in the first half, then scored twice after the interval in a 3-1 win.
Goals 10, 11 and 12 vs Argentina | 2022 final
Mbappe became the second player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final, after England’s Geoff Hurst in 1966. Two goals late in normal time took the match to extra time and a third from the penalty spot took it to a shootout, which Argentina won. He remains the only player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final and lose it.
Goals 13 and 14 vs Senegal | 2026 group stage
Mbappe scored twice in France’s opening match of the 2026 tournament, a 3-1 win over Senegal.
Goals 15 and 16 vs Iraq | 2026 group stage
Another brace, this time in a 3-0 win over Iraq.
Goals 17 and 18 vs Sweden | 2026 round of 32
The expanded 48-team format added a round of 32, and Mbappe scored twice in a 3-0 win over Sweden to take France into the last 16.
Goal 19 vs Paraguay | 2026 round of 16
A penalty, and the only goal of the match.
Goal 20 vs Morocco | 2026 quarter-final
One goal in a 2-0 win. France then lost 2-0 to Spain in the semi-final, the only match of the tournament in which Mbappe was on the pitch and did not score.
Goals 21 and 22 vs England | 2026 third-place play-off
France lost the play-off 6-4, but Mbappe’s two goals took him past Messi and to the top of the all-time list.
The World Cup records Kylian Mbappe holds
- Most goals in FIFA World Cup history: 22, ahead of Messi’s 21 and Klose’s 16.
- A goal a game: 22 goals in 22 matches, a rate no one else near the top of the list comes close to.
- Two Golden Boots: the only player to win the award at two World Cups, in 2022 and 2026, and the only one to win it in consecutive editions.
- Most goals in World Cup finals: four, from the 2018 and 2022 finals — more than any player has scored in the showpiece match.
- The hat-trick nobody else has: one of only two men to score three in a World Cup final, and the only one to do it in a defeat.
One record he does not hold is the single-tournament mark. Ten goals in 2026 is the joint-third highest haul at any World Cup, behind Just Fontaine’s 13 in 1958 and Sandor Kocsis’s 11 in 1954.
Mbappe, Messi and Klose compared
| Player | Goals | Matches | Goals per match | World Cups |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kylian Mbappe | 22 | 22 | 1.00 | 3 |
| Lionel Messi | 21 | 34 | 0.62 | 6 |
| Miroslav Klose | 16 | 24 | 0.67 | 4 |
The gap is in the denominator. Messi needed six tournaments and 34 matches to reach 21; Mbappe has 22 from three tournaments and 22 matches.
Kylian Mbappe World Cup goals: frequently asked questions
How many World Cup goals does Kylian Mbappe have?
Twenty-two, in 22 matches. That is the all-time record.
How many did he score in each World Cup?
Four in 2018, eight in 2022 and ten in 2026.
Did Mbappe break Miroslav Klose’s record?
Yes. Klose had held it on 16 since 2014. Both Messi and Mbappe passed him at the 2026 World Cup, Messi first, and Mbappe finished ahead of both.
How many World Cup Golden Boots has Mbappe won?
Two, in 2022 and 2026. He is the first player to win it more than once.
Has anyone scored more goals at a single World Cup?
Yes. Just Fontaine scored 13 for France in 1958 and Sandor Kocsis 11 for Hungary in 1954. Mbappe’s 10 in 2026 is the joint-third best.
For the full picture, see our lists of the most goals in FIFA World Cup history, the most goals scored in World Cup finals and every World Cup Golden Boot winner.
featured image: Alamy