Kylian Mbappé continued to write new chapters in his international career after leading France to a 3-1 victory over Senegal in the first round of Group 9 matches at the 2026 World Cup, entering a select list of the tournament's greatest scorers in history.
Mbappé scored a brace against Senegal, taking his tally with the France national team to 58 goals, surpassing the record of his former teammate Olivier Giroud, who had topped the all-time France scorers' list with 57 goals.
Mbappé scored France's first goal in the 66th minute, after a pass from Michael Olise set him up in front of the Senegal goal, allowing him to fire the ball past goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, before returning to score France's third goal in the 96th minute with a powerful strike from outside the penalty area.
Giroud was keen to congratulate Mbappé after his historic record was broken, saying during an appearance as a pundit on the BBC: "Congratulations, Kylian — you did it, I am very happy for him," adding that the Real Madrid striker had promised him his shirt from the match.
Mbappé also set a new French World Cup record, becoming the first player from his country to score in 3 different editions, having found the net at Russia 2018, Qatar 2022, and the current 2026 edition.
Mbappé raised his World Cup tally to 14 goals — having scored 4 in the 2018 edition and 8 in the 2022 edition, before adding his brace against Senegal — surpassing Just Fontaine's record of 13 goals for France at the World Cup.
The France captain also overtook Lionel Messi's tally of 13 goals across his World Cup appearances, as Mbappé continues to climb the tournament's all-time top scorers' list.
Mbappé, 27, had faced criticism before the tournament began, but answered his critics on the pitch, leading France to their first 3 points in Group 9.
France face Iraq in Philadelphia in the second round on Tuesday, June 23, before meeting Norway on June 26 in their final group-stage match.