Argentina and France both play tonight in the 2026 World Cup, and Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe are each hunting down the same thing: the all-time World Cup goals record. Messi currently has 16. Mbappe has 14. And the record, held by Miroslav Klose since 2014, sits at 16.
So yes. History could happen. Maybe twice in one night.
Messi got to 16 by opening Argentina’s campaign with a hat-trick against Algeria in a 3-0 win. He’s 38 now and playing in his sixth World Cup, which ties him with Cristiano Ronaldo for the most appearances at the tournament. His 16 goals have come across 27 matches. Klose needed 24 games to get his 16. So Messi is hovering right there, one goal away from owning the record outright.
He gets his shot tonight against Austria in Dallas. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. in Texas, which makes it a primetime game for U.S. audiences. Austria is making its first World Cup appearance in 28 years. They’ve got David Alaba, whose Real Madrid contract is up this month, and Marko Arnautovic, who scored in their opening win against Jordan. They also have Carney Chukwuemeka, the former Chelsea attacker. It is not a glamour matchup on paper, but it’s the one between Messi and history.
Mbappe is close behind. He scored twice in France’s 3-1 win over Senegal, bringing his career World Cup total to 14. That puts him two behind Klose. But by the time France plays Iraq at 10 p.m. in Philadelphia, Messi might have already pushed the record higher. That’s the thing about these two chasing the same number at the same tournament. The target keeps moving.
What Mbappe needs
Mbappe needs a hat-trick to tie Klose at 16 as of right now. But if Messi scores even once against Austria, Mbappe would need three just to catch Messi. And that’s without Messi adding more. This is Mbappe’s third World Cup. He scored in both the 2018 and 2022 finals, including a hat-trick in Qatar even though France lost to Messi’s Argentina. He knows how to show up on big nights.
Iraq is his opponent tonight. They got hammered 4-1 by Norway in their opener, with Erling Haaland scoring twice in his first World Cup game. Iraq’s goal in that match came from Aymen Hussein, who is the country’s fifth all-time scorer. They’ve been to every World Cup since 2014 but only made it three times before that: 1978, 1998, and 2006. The odds are not in their favor.
Both Argentina and France can lock up knockout-round spots with wins tonight. But the bigger story is what happens with the record. Messi could break it before Mbappe even takes the field. Or Mbappe could answer a few hours later. Or they both might miss and keep the chase alive for another matchday. That’s the tension. Two of the best players in the world, both chasing the same piece of history, four hours apart.
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