Mbappe breaks World Cup knockout scoring record, moves ahead of Messi in Golden Boot race

New Jersey- France captain Kylian Mbappe continued his sensational run at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, breaking the tournament's all-time knockout-stage scoring record while overtaking Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.

Playing in his third World Cup, Mbappe scored twice in France's commanding 3-0 victory over Sweden in the Round of 32. The brace, his third of the tournament, took his tally to six goals, drawing him level with Lionel Messi but putting him ahead in the Golden Boot standings thanks to two assists.

The French forward has now scored 18 goals in FIFA World Cup history, moving past Miroslav Klose's tally of 16 and closing to within one goal of Messi's all-time record of 19. With France advancing to the Round of 16, Mbappe has another opportunity to add to his remarkable record when they face Paraguay at Philadelphia Stadium on July 5.

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Expressing his delight after the victory, Mbappe said the team remained focused despite the convincing result.

"I feel a lot of pride. We're on a mission. Before our game, the Round of 32 had been tough for other teams, very difficult. I'm not saying that ours was easy, but we had some margin, even though we could have been more clinical in the first half.

"Now, there's another hurdle to overcome; that's what the players are here for. We mustn't look too far ahead, the risk being to be brought back down to earth.

"Paraguay are not here by chance. This team has got that South American DNA and some good players. We'll take the time to analyse them, but before that, we've got two days to enjoy the moment."

France will now turn their attention to the Round of 16 clash against Paraguay, with Mbappe looking to extend both his World Cup scoring tally and his lead in the Golden Boot race.

With inputs from IANS