On Saturday, July 18th, 2026, France's Kylian Mbappe became the all-time top scorer in World Cup history by netting his 22nd goal in the third-place play-off against England. This achievement places him one goal ahead of Argentina's Lionel Messi on the World Cup all-time goal-scoring list.

Despite Mbappe's record-breaking performance, France was defeated 6-4 by England in what was Didier Deschamps' final match as head coach of the French national team. England's victory secured them third place, marking their best World Cup finish since winning the tournament in 1966.

Mbappe's two goals in the match also moved him to the top of the race for the Golden Boot, awarded to the tournament's highest scorer. Reflecting on his accomplishment, Mbappe said, "When you score a lot of goals at the World Cup, it puts you in a certain category." However, he added, "I would have preferred not to be the all-time top scorer and to be playing tomorrow's match. It's good in terms of legacy, but today it's not the first thing on my mind."

Looking ahead, Lionel Messi and Argentina will have the opportunity to reclaim the scoring title when they compete in the final on Sunday, July 19th.

France missed their chance to reach a third consecutive World Cup final after a 2-0 semi-final loss to Spain. As a player, Didier Deschamps led France to a World Cup title in 1998.

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