Kylian Mbappé continued his relentless pursuit of football history by scoring the winning goal as France defeated Paraguay 1-0 in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16, moving within one goal of Lionel Messi‘s 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’ side into the quarter-finals, where they will meet Morocco in a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semi-final. The strike was significant well 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 closes on Messi’s all-time World Cup record
France’s decisive moment arrived in the 70th minute after Diego Gómez was adjudged to have tripped a French attacker following a VAR review.Mbappé stepped forward from 12 yards and executed a trademark stuttering run-up before sending Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill the wrong way. The penalty settled an otherwise tense Round of 16 contest and carried enormous historical significance.The goal took Mbappé to 19 career World Cup goals in just 19 appearances, leaving him only one behind Lionel Messi, who became the tournament’s all-time leading scorer with his 20th World Cup goal during Argentina’s 3-2 Round of 16 victory over Cape Verde less than 24 hours earlier.
France’s Kylian Mbappe scores the opening goal from the penalty spot against Paraguay during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match in Philadelphia, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
The contrast between the two milestones is equally remarkable. Messi has reached 20 goals across 29 World Cup appearances, while the 28-year-old Mbappé has already amassed 19 goals from only 19 matches and remains firmly in the prime of his career.
Golden Boot race level after another decisive knockout goal
The penalty also dramatically altered the race for the tournament’s Golden Boot.Mbappé now has seven goals at the 2026 World Cup, drawing level with Messi at the top of the scoring charts after the Argentina captain had briefly taken sole possession of first place.Should both players finish the tournament tied on goals, FIFA’s tiebreaking criteria currently favour the French captain, with assists ranked ahead of minutes played. Mbappé leads that category with two assists, while Messi has one following Argentina’s win over Cape Verde. Messi’s tally, however, has been the subject of some statistical revision. He was initially thought to have finished that match with one goal and one assist (his first of the 2026 tournament), but the official match report later altered the record. In extra time, Messi delivered a corner that led to Argentina’s 3-2 winner, initially credited 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 ended today with both players still level on seven goals, Mbappé would 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 remain firmly in contention with five goals each, while France winger Ousmane Dembélé has quietly climbed to four goals and two assists, giving Les Bleus multiple 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 Dembélé (France): 4 goals, 2 assists
Knockout specialist continues rewriting World Cup history
Mbappé’s latest strike further strengthened a remarkable record in World Cup knockout football.Having already become the outright holder of the men’s World Cup record for knockout-stage goals earlier in the tournament against Sweden, the Real Madrid forward has now also drawn level with Messi for the most goal contributions in World Cup knockout matches, with 12 each.Mbappé’s tally consists of nine knockout goals and three assists, matching Messi’s overall contribution in elimination matches and underlining his reputation as one of football’s premier big-game performers.His seventh goal of this tournament has come after a prolific group stage in which he scored four times before adding three more in the knockout rounds, continuing the extraordinary consistency that first earned him the Golden Boot at the 2022 World Cup.France’s victory also keeps alive Mbappé’s pursuit of another World Cup title after Les Bleus narrowly missed out in the unforgettable 2022 final against Argentina despite his hat-trick.With Morocco awaiting in the quarter-finals on Thursday, July 9, at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Mbappé now stands just one goal away from equalling Messi’s all-time World Cup scoring record and holds the narrow advantage in what promises to be one of the closest Golden Boot races in recent tournament history.
