Messi and Mbappé Shatter World Cup Scoring Records in Historic Tournament Start

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé have captivated the 2026 World Cup with record-breaking goal-scoring performances, leading their teams to the knockout rounds while rewriting the tournament's history books.

Messi, nearing his 39th birthday, scored five goals in Argentina's first two matches, surpassing Miroslav Klose's previous record of 16 career World Cup goals. His second goal against Austria secured a 2-0 victory and brought his career total to 18, also surpassing Brazilian legend Marta's record of 17 goals across all World Cups (men's and women's). The Inter Miami star has scored 12 of his goals since turning 35, demonstrating remarkable longevity.

Mbappé, 27, has added four goals for France, including two in a 3-0 win over Iraq, bringing his career World Cup total to 16 and tying Klose for second on the all-time list. The Real Madrid forward has scored his 16 goals in 16 matches since 2018, compared to Messi's 28 matches over six tournaments. “Leo always scores,” Mbappé said. “If I want to look at what Leo’s doing, I’ll have to do even more.”

Norway's Erling Haaland has also made a strong impact in his World Cup debut with four goals in two matches, while Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice against Uzbekistan to reach 10 career goals. Argentina and France have both secured spots in the elimination rounds and are among the favorites to win the tournament.

The tournament has seen an unprecedented number of goals, with the first 100 scored in just 33 matches — the fastest such milestone since 1958. The average of 3.09 goals per match exceeds the 2.69 average from the 2022 tournament. Analysts attribute the surge to several factors, including the new official ball “Trionda” with its unpredictable flight, mandatory cooling breaks due to North American heat, the five-substitution rule, precise injury-time calculations, and the expanded 48-team format that has widened the gap between traditional powers and debutants.