By The9jaTREND
Kylian Mbappé delivered a commanding performance in France’s 3-0 victory over Iraq in their Group I fixture at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on 23 June, using the occasion to rewrite the tournament’s historical scoring records.
The Real Madrid forward opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a composed finish before adding his second goal in the 54th minute following the resumption of play. Ousmane Dembélé completed the scoring in the 66th minute to wrap up a comprehensive victory for Les Bleus.
The match was significantly disrupted by a weather delay of more than two hours caused by lightning and heavy rainfall, though the interruption did little to diminish Mbappé’s sharpness or France’s overall intensity when play resumed.
The result moves France to the top of Group I with six points from two matches, effectively securing their progression to the knockout stages ahead of their final group fixture against Norway.
Mbappé’s brace against Iraq carried statistical weight beyond the scoreline. According to Squawka, the 27-year-old became the first player in World Cup history to register two or more goals across six separate matches at the tournament — a benchmark that neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo managed to reach during their respective careers. His six multi-goal World Cup appearances came against Argentina (2018), Denmark (2022), Poland (2022), Argentina (2022), Senegal (2026), and Iraq (2026).
The milestone arrived on a personally significant occasion, with Mbappé earning his 100th international cap for France in the same match.
In terms of overall World Cup goals, Mbappé now sits on 16 tournament goals, level with Germany’s Miroslav Klose as the second-highest scorer in World Cup history. He trails only Messi, who moved to 18 goals after scoring a brace against Austria earlier in the tournament. Ronaldo, whose World Cup tally stands at eight goals, remains well behind the leading trio.
Mbappé’s World Cup scoring trajectory has been one of the defining narratives of his international career. He first emerged on the global stage at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where France lifted the trophy and he became only the second teenager — after Pelé — to score in a World Cup final. He followed that with a standout 2022 campaign in Qatar, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with eight goals, including a hat-trick in the final against Argentina, which France ultimately lost on penalties.
With France still to face Norway in their final group match and likely to advance deep into the knockout rounds, Mbappé will have further opportunities to close the gap on Messi’s all-time record. Whether he surpasses the Argentina captain’s mark at this tournament remains to be seen, but the trajectory suggests the record is within reach.