Kylian Mbappe moved to the top of the World Cup all-time top scorers knockout list after scoring twice against Sweden in his first knockout appearance at the 2026 World Cup. He now has 10 goals in 9 knockout-stage games. Lionel Messi still leads the overall World Cup scoring chart, but the knockout race now belongs to Mbappe.
Mbappe’s 10-goal mark
The 10-goal total came with two more goals against Sweden, and it pushed Mbappe past every other name on the knockout-stage list. The record had been tied before his latest match, then shifted as he added another finish midway through the second half.
Mbappe reached that number in only 9 games. Half of his knockout tally had come in finals before this match, including the hat-trick he scored in the World Cup final defeat to Argentina in Qatar last time out.
Messi and Ronaldo
Messi’s place in the story is different. He recently became the all-time top goalscorer in World Cup history, while Mbappe now leads only the knockout-stage list. The two records measure separate things: total World Cup goals on one side, knockout-stage goals on the other.
Cristiano Ronaldo sits in a third lane entirely. He has never scored a World Cup knockout-stage goal, which leaves Mbappe and the older scorers in a race built on a very specific stage rather than overall tournament totals.
Eusebio and the old standard
The old benchmark belonged to a short list of scorers who made their damage count. Leonidas had 8 knockout goals in 5 games. Ronaldo had 8 in 10. Just Fontaine, Vava, Oldrich Nejedly and Pele each finished on 7, while Eusebio, Gyorgy Sarosi and Gary Lineker reached 6.
Eusebio’s name still stands out because he scored 6 goals in just 3 knockout appearances at the 1966 World Cup, including four in a 5-3 comeback victory over North Korea at Goodison Park. Roberto Baggio also reached 6, but needed 9 games to get there.
Mbappe’s total now sits above all of them. The 2026 World Cup has given him the next benchmark, and the only remaining question inside this record chase is how far he can push it before the tournament ends.
