Mbappe Finishes as World Cup's All-Time Top Scorer With 22 Goals as Messi Falls Short in Final

Kylian Mbappe finishes the 2026 World Cup as the tournament's all-time top scorer. Lionel Messi went scoreless in Sunday's final, a 1-0 extra-time loss to Spain, which means Mbappe's tally stands unmatched once the trophy was decided.

Mbappe reached the mark with a brace in France's 6-4 win over England in the third-place match, taking his tournament tally to 10 goals. Across this World Cup alone, he scored twice against Senegal, twice against Iraq, twice against Sweden, once against Paraguay, once against Morocco, and twice against England. Add that to 4 goals in 2018 and 8 in 2022, and Mbappe finishes with 22 career World Cup goals, one clear of Messi's 21.

Messi had a chance to draw level or retake the record in the final itself. He came into the match on 21 career goals and needed just one more to tie Mbappe, or two to move back in front. Spain's defense, marshalled by a dominant midfield performance from Rodri, kept him quiet all game, and Messi's World Cup story ends on 21.

The scoring race also settled the Golden Boot. Mbappe's 10 goals, with 4 assists, means he finishes as the tournament's top scorer outright, his second straight World Cup Golden Boot after also topping the charts in 2022.

Between them, Messi and Mbappe have now defined World Cup goalscoring for the best part of a decade. Messi still holds the record for career World Cup assists and remains the only man with a hat-trick in a World Cup final. But for outright goals, the record now belongs to Mbappe, at just 27 years old and with more World Cups likely still ahead of him.