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By Vikram Iyer — 9 July 2026 — 3 min read

Kylian Mbappé has continued to make an impact at the World Cup, with his performance against Morocco drawing significant attention. The 27-year-old forward has been a key factor in France reaching the quarter-final stage of the tournament. He has scored seven goals in five matches during the 2026 World Cup, placing him one goal behind Argentina‘s Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race. Overall, Mbappé has accumulated 19 goals in 19 World Cup matches.

During the quarter-final match against Morocco in Boston, Mbappé achieved a notable record by becoming the youngest player to make 20 appearances in the FIFA World Cup. He reached this milestone at 27 years and 201 days old. This surpasses the previous record held by Poland‘s Wladislaw Zmuda, who made his 20th appearance at 28 years and 34 days during the 1986 World Cup.

Mbappé’s World Cup journey began as a 19-year-old at Russia 2018, where he helped France secure the trophy with a 4-2 victory over Croatia in the final. He was the first teenager since Pelé to score in a World Cup final. In Qatar 2022, he earned the Golden Boot with eight goals, despite France‘s defeat to Argentina in the final. He is now participating in his third World Cup tournament.

Performance against Morocco

The match against Morocco saw Mbappé actively involved from the start. Early in the game, he took a shot from a distance that the goalkeeper, Bono, had to tip wide. In the 25th minute, Mbappé initiated a counterattack, moving past Mazraoui and earning a foul.

Later in the game, Mbappé was denied from the penalty spot by Bono. The penalty, which he won himself, was saved by the goalkeeper. Despite the miss, Mbappé eventually scored, collecting the ball outside the box and striking it into the far corner to make the score 1-0. Ousmane Dembélé later scored a second goal for France.

According to Transfermarkt, Mbappé has converted 65 out of 80 career penalties, resulting in an 81% conversion rate. His current form in the 2026 World Cup includes braces against Senegal and Iraq, and another goal against Sweden. He also scored the winning goal from the spot against Paraguay.

Historical achievements and future prospects

Mbappé has surpassed Miroslav Klose‘s record for men’s World Cup goals. He is also the only player to have scored three or more knockout-stage goals in three separate World Cups, a feat achieved against Paraguay in the Round of 16. He is currently 27 years old and plays for Real Madrid when not representing the French national team.

With 20 appearances across three World Cups and one winner’s medal, Mbappé has the potential for at least two more World Cup tournaments in his career. Messi holds the record for World Cup appearances with 30 across six tournaments, a number Mbappé could potentially challenge in the future. The 2026 World Cup is being held in North America.

The France 2026 World Cup schedule included matches such as a 3-1 victory over Senegal on June 16, a 3-0 win against Iraq on June 22, a 4-1 triumph over Norway on June 26, and a 3-0 win against Sweden on June 30. France also secured a 1-0 victory over Paraguay on July 4.

Source: eu.usatoday.com