Available in USIt took two goals in a match France lost. In the bronze-medal game against England, Kylian Mbappé scored on 48 minutes to equal Lionel Messi’s all-time World Cup record, then again on 66 to break it — reaching 22 career World Cup goals, one clear of Messi’s 21. France went down 6–4, but Mbappé walked off as the leading scorer in the tournament’s history. And there is a twist: the very man he passed plays the final on Sunday, with a chance to take it straight back.
The Record — 22 and Counting
Mbappé’s brace did two things at once. It made him the all-time World Cup top scorer and, with 10 goals in this edition alone, all but sealed the tournament’s Golden Boot. It also made him the first player ever to score eight or more goals in back-to-back World Cups — a mark that speaks to sustained dominance across two whole tournaments, not one hot run.
| All-time World Cup goals | Total |
|---|---|
| Kylian Mbappé | 22 |
| Lionel Messi | 21 |
| Miroslav Klose | 16 |
| Ronaldo (Brazil) | 15 |
| Gerd Müller | 14 |
The gap to the rest of the list is telling: Mbappé and Messi have pulled clear of the previous benchmark, Miroslav Klose’s 16, by a distance that only two generational forwards could manage.
Messi’s Final-Day Answer
The record is not safe. Messi walks out at MetLife on Sunday with the simplest of equations in front of him: one goal ties it back at 22, two reclaims it outright. For a player who has rarely gone quiet in a Messi final, that is a live subplot on top of the trophy itself — and it is exactly why he leads the anytime-scorer market for the final at 2.50.
There is a defensive wrinkle, though. Standing between Messi and the record is Spain’s Unai Simón, the goalkeeper who has conceded just one goal in seven games and kept six clean sheets — the meanest defensive season in nearly a century. If any back line can keep Messi off the scoresheet and freeze the record where it stands, it is this one.
- Mbappé is the new all-time World Cup top scorer with 22 goals, one past Messi’s 21.
- The record came via a brace in France’s 6–4 bronze-medal loss to England (48′ to equal, 66′ to break).
- He is the first player to score 8+ goals in back-to-back World Cups, and leads this tournament’s Golden Boot on 10.
- Messi can reclaim the record in the final: one goal ties at 22, two passes. He leads the final’s anytime-scorer market at 2.50.
- Spain’s record defence (one goal conceded in seven) is the obstacle to a Messi answer.
Watching and Betting in Canada
Messi’s chance to reclaim the record comes at 3:00 PM ET on Sunday — mid-afternoon in the East, noon out West. Single-game wagering is legal across Canada, with Ontario’s regulated market covering the final; Canadian-facing books such as Boomerang Bet, Betibet, Lamabet and Koning.bet are pricing the scorer and award markets in CAD. For the match read see our Spain vs Argentina final preview, and for the individual prizes the World Cup 2026 award odds page; the live World Cup 2026 odds board updates through kickoff. Please bet responsibly and within your limits.
Records and odds are current as of the evening of July 18, 2026, before the final; the goals record can change on Sunday. Odds are decimal quotes in CAD and move up to kickoff. Please bet responsibly — 19+ (18+ in Alberta and Québec).
