France captain overtakes Giroud with 58 goals for his country and the most for Les Blues at a World Cup.
Published On 17 Jun 2026
Any doubts about Kylian Mbappe’s status as one of the world’s greatest footballers were laid to rest when he statistically topped the charts with two goals as France beat Senegal 3-1 in their opening game of the World Cup.
The 27-year-old became France’s record scorer on Tuesday, overtaking Olivier Giroud with 58 goals. In a full-circle moment, Giroud, a commentator at Tuesday’s match against Senegal, congratulated Mbappe live on air when he netted again in the 96th minute.
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Mbappe also became France’s top scorer at a World Cup with 14 goals, as well as the youngest ever to reach that number. He eclipsed Just Fontaine’s record of 13 goals, all of which were scored at the 1958 World Cup.
Mbappe sits just two goals behind Miroslav Klose’s World Cup record for most goals scored, another record he could break when France take on Iraq next week in Philadelphia. He sits third on the list, just behind Brazil’s Ronaldo with 15 goals, although he has eclipsed Argentinian icon Lionel Messi with 13 World Cup goals.
Mbappe posted on social media soon after the record-breaking match but did not mention the personal milestones.
“Always important to start with a win. It will be a long road, but we are ready,” he wrote on Instagram.
For his first goal of the 2026 edition, Mbappe darted across the penalty area to convert a brilliant Michael Olise pass on 66 minutes, breaking the deadlock in a contest in which France struggled in the first half but came to life after the break.
Bradley Barcola of Paris Saint-Germain then came off the bench to get the second late on, before his club colleague Ibrahim Mbaye pulled one back in stoppage time for Senegal.
But Mbappe saved the best for last, as he blasted in from long range in the 96th minute to seal the win.
Mbappe is no stranger to World Cup stardom; he guided France to victory in Russia 2018 at just 19 years of age.
Which other records did Mbappe break?
His lone goal for France against Peru in 2018 made him the youngest French player to score at a World Cup, and the second teenager, after Pele, to score in a World Cup final. Mbappe’s performance earned him FIFA’s Young Player of the Year award, and he was also named France’s player of the year.
Although Messi’s Argentina robbed France of a consecutive victory in 2022, Mbappe’s hat-trick in the World Cup final was only the second time the feat has been achieved. England’s Geoff Hurst did it in 1966 at Wembley for a 4-2 victory over West Germany.
Mbappe’s goals on Tuesday mean he has scored at three consecutive World Cups, and is the only player to have scored two goals or more in five different World Cup matches.
