Kylian Mbappé continued his relentless pursuit of football history by scoring the winning goal as France beat Paraguay 1-0 in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16, moving within a goal of Lionel MessiThe all-time World Cup scoring record while drawing level with the Argentine superstar in the race for this year’s Golden Boot.The France captain calmly converted a second-half penalty in Philadelphia to send Didier Deschamps’ team through to the quarter-finals, where they will meet Morocco in a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semi-final. The strike is significant beyond the result itself. It was Mbappé’s seventh goal of the 2026 tournament, his 19th career World Cup goal and another addition to a growing collection of records that continue to place him among the greatest players in the competition’s history.
Mbappé ended all of Messi’s World Cup records
France’s decisive moment came in the 70th minute after Diego Gómez was adjudged to have tripped a French attacker following a VAR review.Mbappé advanced from 12 yards and executed a trademark stuttering run-up before sending Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill the wrong way. The penalty settled a tense Round of 16 competition and carries great historical significance.The goal took Mbappé to 19 career World Cup goals in just 19 appearances, leaving him just one behind Lionel Messi, who became the tournament’s top scorer with his 20th World Cup goal during Argentina’s 3-2 Round of 16 win over Cape Verde less than 24 hours earlier.
France’s Kylian Mbappe scores the opening goal from the penalty spot against Paraguay during a World Cup round of 16 soccer match in Philadelphia, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
The difference between the two milestones is equally striking. Messi has reached 20 goals in 29 World Cup games, while 28-year-old Mbappé has already amassed 19 goals from just 19 games and remains strong at the peak of his career.
The Golden Boot race level after another decisive knockout goal
The penalty also dramatically changed the race for the tournament’s Golden Boot.Mbappé now has seven goals at the 2026 World Cup, drawing him level with Messi at the top of the scoring charts after the Argentina captain briefly held first place.If two players finish the tournament tied on goals, FIFA’s tiebreaking criteria currently favor the French captain, with assists ahead in minutes played. Mbappé leads this category with two assists, while Messi has one after Argentina’s win over Cape Verde. Messi’s tally, however, has been the subject of some statistical manipulation. At first he thought he finished the game with a goal and an assist (his first of the 2026 tournament), but the official match report later changed the record. In added time, Messi delivered a corner that led to a 3-2 winner in Argentina, which was first recognized as an assist after Cristian “Cuti” Romero celebrated the goal. However, FIFA later ruled it an own goal by Borges, removing the assist from Messi’s record.That means if the tournament ends today with both players level on seven goals, Mbappé will be awarded the Golden Boot.The race remains wide open entering the quarter-finals, however. Norway striker Erling Haaland and England captain Harry Kane both remained firmly in contention with five goals each, while France winger Ousmane Dembélé quietly stepped up with four goals and two assists, giving Les Bleus plenty of contenders near the top of the leaderboard.Current 2026 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot standings
- Kylian Mbappé (France). 7 goals, 2 assists
- Lionel Messi (Argentina). 7 goals, 1 assist
- Harry Kane (England). 5 goals
- Erling Haaland (Norway). 5 goals
- Ousmane Dembele (France). 4 goals, 2 assists
The Knockout specialist continues to rewrite World Cup history
Mbappé’s latest strike further cemented a unique record in World Cup knockout football.Having become the absolute holder of the men’s World Cup record for knockout-stage goals earlier in the tournament against Sweden, the Real Madrid forward has now again leveled Messi for the most goal contributions in World Cup knockout games, with 12 each.Mbappé’s tally consists of nine knockout goals and three assists, equaling Messi’s total contribution in the elimination matches and underlining his reputation as one of the top performers in football’s big games.His seventh goal of this tournament came after a prolific group stage in which he scored four times before adding three more in the knockout rounds, continuing the remarkable consistency that first earned him the Golden Boot at the 2022 World Cup.France’s victory also kept alive Mbappé’s pursuit of another World Cup title after Les Bleus narrowly missed out on the unforgettable 2022 final against Argentina despite his hat-trick.With Morocco awaiting the quarter-finals on Thursday, July 9, at the Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Mbappé now stands just one goal away from equaling Messi’s all-time World Cup scoring record and holds a narrow advantage in what promises to be one of the closest Golden Boot races in the tournament’s recent history.