Kylian Mbappe achieved a historic milestone on Saturday after becoming the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer, but the landmark came in heartbreaking circumstances as France suffered a 6-4 defeat to England in the 2026 FIFA World Cup third-place playoff. The Mbappe World Cup record was set at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, where the Real Madrid forward scored twice to increase his career World Cup tally to 22 goals, moving ahead of Lionel Messi on the tournament’s all-time scoring chart.
France endured a nightmare first half, trailing England 4-0 before Mbappe ignited a second-half comeback with a first-time finish just three minutes after the restart. Bradley Barcola added another goal before Mbappe struck again in the 66th minute, briefly raising hopes of an unlikely comeback.
Despite France finding the net four times, England held firm as Bukayo Saka’s hat-trick and a late goal from Jude Bellingham secured victory and third place for the Three Lions. The match also marked Didier Deschamps’ final outing as France’s head coach.
Although the Mbappe World Cup record cements his place among football’s greatest scorers, the French captain admitted the achievement offered little comfort after missing out on the World Cup final. Speaking after the match, Mbappe said he would have preferred playing in the championship game instead of becoming the competition’s all-time leading scorer.
He also expressed admiration for Messi, noting that the Argentine legend has consistently delivered goals throughout his career and could still reclaim the record during Sunday’s World Cup final against Spain. Messi, now featuring in his sixth World Cup, entered the tournament with the scoring record after surpassing former Germany striker Miroslav Klose earlier in the competition through a series of prolific performances.
Mbappe’s two goals against England also strengthened his lead in the race for the tournament’s Golden Boot. The French forward now tops the scoring standings with 10 goals at the 2026 World Cup, while Messi heads into the final with eight goals and an opportunity to further add to his remarkable legacy.
