June 26, 2026, 1:44 PM EDT / Updated July 18, 2026, 6:20 PM EDT
It has taken 12 years to break this World Cup record, but any minute now it could be broken again.
The record for most goals scored in a World Cup career has become a battle between the man who set the new record last week and the man likely to beat him.
In his sixth and widely expected final World Cup, Argentine Lionel Messi, 39, has found the net eight times already for 21 career World Cup scores, catapulting him past Miroslav Klose’s 2014 record of 16 World Cup goals.
But Frenchman Kylian Mbappé, a forward for Les Bleus, closed the gap and leads with 22 career World Cup goals. Mbappé scored four of those in the first two games of this tournament. Both men entered the tournament neck and neck, with 13 previous World Cup goals for Messi and 12 for Mbappé. Messi has had more opportunities: This is his sixth World Cup, while it’s Mbappé’s third.
Who ends up with the World Cup goal record could depend on how deep his team makes it into the tournament. Both teams are among the likeliest to win the tournament, and according to multiple sportsbooks, France is the current favorite with Argentina close behind. NBC News will update these graphics as Mbappé and Messi continue to score.
The 2022 World Cup final, in Qatar, was the last time the two went head to head on the pitch. Argentina took home the trophy, but Mbappé earned a hat trick, only the second such feat in World Cup history.
Messi has played in six World Cups, and he has won the prestigious Ballon d’Or (“Golden Ball”) award a record eight times in his decadeslong professional career.
During this year’s cup, Mbappé, 27, became the French national team’s all-time top goal scorer. He surpassed Olivier Giroud’s record of 58 goals with two strikes in a 3-1 win over Senegal on June 16.
Across his 33 World Cup appearances, Messi averages two goals per three games played. Mbappé, who has logged 22 World Cup matches, averages about one per game.
Mbappé holds the record for most goals scored during World Cup finals with four. Messi, on the other hand, has more World Cup assists. With nine assists in his World Cup career, Messi records an assist about one every four games. Mbappé, with five assists in his World Cup appearances, averages an assist every four games.
Mbappé is often pitted against Messi, especially as he creeps up on the legend’s long list of records. When reporters asked Mbappé on June 22 who is the best among this World Cup’s stars — Messi, Harry Kane, Erling Haaland and himself — he didn’t flinch in his response: “Lionel Messi. It’s clear.”
