Kylian Mbappé is no longer just chasing another World Cup.
He is chasing history.
The France captain scored twice in the 3-0 win over Sweden in the Round of 32, taking his career World Cup tally to 18 goals. That leaves him just one behind Lionel Messi’s all-time record of 19.
At 27, Mbappé is now within touching distance of a mark that once looked almost untouchable.
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One goal behind Messi
According to TV 2 Sport, Mbappé’s two goals against Sweden moved him to 18 career World Cup goals, one behind Messi.
That puts him ahead of Miroslav Klose, who held the men’s World Cup record for years with 16 goals.
It is a remarkable pace.
Mbappé scored four goals at the 2018 World Cup, eight in 2022 and has continued at the same frightening level in 2026. He is not climbing the list slowly. He is tearing through it.
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According to The Sun’s match report, Mbappé scored his 17th and 18th World Cup goals in just 18 matches across three tournaments.
That is the number that makes the chase feel different.
Messi’s record is the result of a long, extraordinary World Cup career. Mbappé is getting there at sprint speed.
Sweden could not stop him
Sweden had already spent long spells under pressure before Mbappé broke through.
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France created chance after chance in the first half, with Michael Olise hitting the post and Sweden goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström repeatedly being forced into saves.
Then Mbappé took over.
According to CBS Sports’ live coverage, France beat Sweden 3-0 at MetLife Stadium and advanced to face Paraguay in the Round of 16.
Mbappé opened the scoring just before half-time after a short-corner routine. He received the ball, drove inside and finished with the kind of precision Sweden had feared all evening.
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Bradley Barcola made it 2-0 after the break, before Mbappé added his second after another clever Olise pass.
By then, Sweden were finished.
Golden Boot race tightens again
Mbappé is also right in the middle of the Golden Boot race.
According to The Sporting News’ live Golden Boot tracker, Messi and Mbappé were tied on six goals as of Tuesday, June 30, with Erling Haaland on five.
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That makes the individual race almost as compelling as the tournament itself.
Messi is still alive with Argentina. Mbappé is still scoring for France. Haaland remains dangerous with Norway.
But Mbappé has one advantage that makes him especially dangerous: France look capable of going deep again.
The longer France stay in the tournament, the more realistic it becomes that he catches Messi, both in the Golden Boot race and on the all-time list.
France look frightening again
This was not only a Mbappé story.
France looked balanced, fast and ruthless. Olise was central to much of their best attacking play, Barcola added another goal, and Didier Deschamps’ side again showed why they are among the strongest favourites.
According to The Sun, France became the first team to score three or more goals in five consecutive World Cup matches.
That is not a small detail.
It shows a team that is not relying on one moment or one player, even if Mbappé remains the face of everything they do.
France have speed out wide, creativity between the lines and a striker who now seems to collect World Cup goals almost as a habit.
A record that feels close now
Messi still has the record.
But Mbappé is close enough that every France match now carries a second storyline.
One more goal would put him level. Two would take him past Messi and make him the most prolific goalscorer in World Cup history.
That would be a historic achievement in itself.
But the most frightening part is that Mbappé may not be finished for years.
France are through. Sweden are out. And the World Cup scoring record is no longer somewhere in the distance.
It is right in front of him.
