FULL LIST: Mbappé overtakes Pelé, Messi to become World Cup’s all time leading scorer
France captain Kylian Mbappé has written his name into FIFA World Cup history after becoming the competition’s all time leading goalscorer, surpassing football legends including Lionel Messi and Pelé on the prestigious chart.
The 27 year old forward reached the historic milestone after scoring twice for France during their 2026 FIFA World Cup third place playoff clash against England, taking his overall World Cup tally to 22 goals across three tournament appearances.
Mbappé’s achievement places him ahead of Argentina’s Lionel Messi, who finished with 21 World Cup goals after representing his country in six editions of the tournament, while German striker Miroslav Klose remains among the highest scorers with 16 goals.
The French forward made his World Cup debut as a teenager at Russia 2018, where he scored four goals and helped France win their second World Cup title, before adding eight goals at Qatar 2022 and another 10 goals during the 2026 tournament.
Mbappé’s rise has been remarkable considering he has played far fewer matches than many players above him previously, achieving the record after only three World Cup campaigns.
The Paris Saint Germain and Real Madrid forward also strengthened his reputation as one of the greatest players in World Cup history, having already become the leading scorer in World Cup final matches after his goals against Croatia in 2018 and his hat trick against Argentina in the 2022 final.
Despite breaking the record, Mbappé reportedly prioritised team success over personal recognition, insisting that individual records were secondary to France’s ambitions at the tournament.
World Cup all time leading scorers
- 🇫🇷 Kylian Mbappé — 22 goals
- 🇦🇷 Lionel Messi — 21 goals
- 🇩🇪 Miroslav Klose — 16 goals
- 🇧🇷 Ronaldo Nazário — 15 goals
- 🇩🇪 Gerd Müller — 14 goals
- 🏴 Harry Kane — 14 goals
- 🇫🇷 Just Fontaine — 13 goals
- 🇧🇷 Pelé — 12 goals
- 🇭🇺 Sándor Kocsis — 11 goals
- 🇩🇪 Jürgen Klinsmann — 11 goals
Mbappé’s record means he has now moved ahead of some of football’s greatest names, including Brazil icon Pelé, whose 12 World Cup goals helped cement his status as one of the sport’s all time legends.
The Frenchman’s latest feat adds to a growing list of World Cup records achieved during his career, including becoming one of the youngest players to score in a final and one of the few players to score in multiple World Cup finals.
With Mbappé still in his prime, football fans are now watching to see how far the French superstar can extend his record in future editions of the World Cup.
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