Kylian Mbappé continued to hit the FIFA World Cup books on Tuesday night, scoring twice as France swept Sweden 3-0 in the Round of 32 to set a record. The Real Madrid player became the leading goalscorer in knockout games at the World Cup, moved up to second in the tournament’s all-time goalscoring record ahead of Miroslav Klose, and moved one goal clear of Lionel Messi’s all-time record. France’s emphatic victory at the New York Stadium in New Jersey set up a Round of 16 meeting with Paraguay after Didier Deschamps’ side produced one of their best final performances of the competition. Bradley Barcola added another goal, but the evening belonged to Mbappé, whose consistency on football’s biggest stage continues to redefine World Cup history.
Mbappé stands alone as the knockout king of the World Cup
The win came just before half time and showed why Mbappé has become one of the most feared players in international football. Taking what was on the edge of the penalty area in Sweden, he jumped over his goal with a sharp cross before passing the goalkeeper in the 45th minute. The striker immediately ran to the French technical center to cheer on Deschamps, who returned to the line after missing the last game of the French team after the death of his mother. Barcola added to France’s advantage eight minutes into the second half before Mbappé completed his lead in the 74th minute, calmly finishing off another French move to dispel any lingering doubt. Deschamps later bowed respectfully in front of his star as Mbappé was substituted in the 85th minute after another brilliant display. The last two were of the greatest significance in history. Mbappé’s first goal took him to nine World Cup goals, breaking the long-standing record shared by Brazil’s Leônidas and Ronaldo Nazári, which Leônidas set in 1938 against Sweden, and Ronaldo equaled in 2006 against Ghana. The Brazilian’s joint record stood for 20 years before Mbappé broke through, before adding a second to reach 10 and successfully move to the top. These knockout goals have been met in three games. He scored three goals in France’s 2018 campaign, including a goal against Argentina in the Round of 16 and another goal in the final against Croatia. Four years later in Qatar, he added five more, with two against Poland before his memorable hat-trick against Argentina in the final. His brace against Sweden has now taken his tally to 10 goals in just nine World Cup appearances.
Fast closing on Messi’s World Cup record
This thread also made another popular board. Mbappé joined Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals. By scoring twice, he moved to 18 World Cup goals, beating the veteran German and making himself the second-highest scorer in the tournament’s history. Only Lionel Messi is left. The Argentina captain has 19 World Cup goals, which means Mbappé trails him by just one. Incredibly, the French forward has managed 18 goals in just 18 World Cup appearances across three tournaments, while Messi needed 29 goals in six World Cup appearances to achieve the feat. The competition is still very much alive. Both players scored six goals in the 2026 competition and are locked together near the top of the Golden Boot standings, although Mbappé currently leads the competition in terms of scoring. Earlier in the tournament, Messi became the first player to score for 13 different countries at the World Cup as he extended his all-time record, but Mbappé narrowed the gap with another stunning performance. His 18 World Cup goals were divided into three different formats: four in Russia in 2018, eight in Qatar in 2022, and six already in the tournaments taking place in 2026. This summer alone, he scored twice against Senegal, added another goal against Iraq in the group stage, scored a brace against Norway, and then made his two wins against Sweden.
France continues to qualify for another World Cup
Mbappé was quick to look at what has happened together instead of doing well. “I know who I am, how I play, what I have to do, but it’s not about me,” Mbappé said through a translator. “The whole team knows what to do. It’s a new competition that started today. We played well, but we were nervous. We should have done better first.” France really grew into a contender after the opening period. He finished with 61 percent, attempted 25 shots, including 13 on target, completed 91 percent accuracy, scored nine corners, and prevented Sweden from only 8 attempts, only three of which were attempted by Mike Maignan. The clean sheet also extended France’s streak of scoring twice in seven consecutive World Cup matches, starting at the 2022 tournament. The 3-0 victory represented France’s biggest World Cup victory since they beat Brazil by the same scoreline in the 1998 final. Les Bleus now travel to Philadelphia to face Paraguay on July 4, with the winners advancing to the quarter-finals against either Canada or Morocco in Foxborough five days later. For Mbappé, another opportunity now awaits. With just one goal separating him from Messi’s World Cup record, and the knock-out stages just beginning, another chapter in football history could be written before the French tournament ends.