Messi, Mbappé and Haaland Fire 6 Goals to Send 3 Nations Into World Cup Knockouts

Q: With Messi's new record, can the younger Mbappe or Haaland realistically challenge for the all-time World Cup goalscorer title?

Yes. Mbappé is a very realistic threat to Messi’s new mark, while Haaland has the talent but faces a steeper path. Mbappé is already on 16 World Cup goals after his brace against Iraq, just two behind Messi’s new record of 18. At 27, he is still likely to have at least two more World Cups after 2026, and he plays for a France side that regularly qualifies and tends to make deep runs. That matters because the record is built not just on scoring rate, but on playing many knockout matches over multiple tournaments. Mbappé has already shown he can do both, having scored heavily in 2018, 2022 and now 2026. Haaland’s case is different. At 25, he may have even more time than Mbappé, and his scoring ability is beyond doubt. He has four goals in his first two World Cup matches in 2026, an outstanding start. But he is much further back than Mbappé and depends on Norway continuing to qualify consistently and advancing beyond the group stage. Norway’s return in 2026 is impressive, but unlike France or Argentina, it does not yet have a long recent record of deep World Cup runs. Messi’s total may also rise further in this tournament, which would push the target higher. Even so, Mbappé looks best placed to break the record because of his current total, age and team context. Haaland remains a plausible long-term challenger, but he will need both elite finishing and sustained Norwegian success.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jun 23

Six goals from Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland on Monday pushed Argentina, France and Norway into the World Cup knockout stage, with each star scoring a brace.
Messi struck both goals in Argentina's 2-0 win over Austria and, with 18 career World Cup goals, moved to the top of the tournament's all-time scoring list.
Mbappé matched him in France's 3-0 victory over Iraq, while Haaland scored twice against Senegal to reach four goals in Group I.
That trio has now produced multiple-goal games for their countries twice at this World Cup, sharpening anticipation for the knockout rounds and Friday's France-Norway clash.