France captain Kylian Mbappe put on a masterclass in the 2026 World Cup, netting a brilliant brace against Iraq during the second round of the group stage.
The Real Madrid superstar opened the scoring in the first half after receiving the ball on the edge of the box and unleashing a powerful left-footed strike that left Iraqi goalkeeper Ahmed Basil with no chance. In the second half, Mbappe capitalized on a major blunder by the Iraqi keeper to calmly slot home his second goal of the match.
With this brace, Mbappe has reached an incredible milestone of 16 goals in just 15 World Cup matches across his appearances in Russia 2018, Qatar 2022, and the ongoing 2026 tournament in North America.
By reaching 16 goals, the 26-year-old forward officially surpasses Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazario (who scored 15 World Cup goals and broke Gerd Muller’s 14-goal record back in Germany 2006). Furthermore, Mbappe has now equaled Germany’s Miroslav Klose as the joint-second highest goalscorer in World Cup history.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi, who has scored 5 goals so far in the current 2026 edition, leads the all-time charts with 18 World Cup goals across his historic tournament appearances.
Mbappe has previously stated his ultimate ambition to chase Messi for the top spot. At his current devastating pace, the French sensation has every chance to rewrite football history in this tournament or future editions.
⚽️ مبابي يمنح فرنسا التقدّم من تسديدة يسارية قوية لم يتمكن حارس مرمى العراق أحمد باسل من صدّها#كأس_العالم2026 | #مونديال2026 | #كأس_العالم#FIFAWorldCup2026 | #FIFAWorldCup | #beINWC26 pic.twitter.com/6SjCdPnbQf
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) June 22, 2026
