Kylian Mbappe says a race for the golden boot with Lionel Messi would entail even more pressure at the World Cup 2026 after both strikers continued their prolific starts to the tournament on matchday two.Hours after Messi reached five goals by striking twice against Austria a match in which the Argentina captain and eight-time Ballon dOr winner also sent an early penalty wide Mbappe scored his second double in two games as France beat Iraq 3-0.Leo always scores, said Mbappe, answering a question about his appreciation of a compelling-looking contest to finish as top scorer.He has always scored, he is scoring, and he will always score. If I want to look at what Leo does, Im going to have to do even more.Table of ContentsWorld Cup 2026: Lionel Messi vs Kylian MbappeFrance vs Iraq: World Cup delay disadvantageWorld Cup 2026: Ousmane Dembele uniqueMbappe World Cup fixtures: Confirmed schedule, kick off timesWorld Cup 2026: Lionel Messi vs Kylian MbappeMessi matched Germany legend Miroslav Kloses record 16 goals at the World Cup with his first hat-trick at the tournament in Argentinas 3-0 win over Austria on matchday one.Mbappe had been level with West Germanys Gerd Muller on 14 and has now surpassed Brazil icon Ronaldos tally of 15, putting the Bleus captain level with Klose.I dont look at what he does at all, Mbappe said of Messi, with whom he played 67 times for Paris Saint-Germain between 2021 and 2023.I only think about helping my team. Its certain that by helping my team, I score goals and, when you score goals, of course you get closer to that kind of sphere.Ive always scored goals at the World Cup, so its not something I think I should worry about.The priority for us is to be sure of our strengths as a team, because we know that the further we progress, the more we will be put to the test.To win a World Cup, you have to beat everyone, so its going to be very complicated.We have a long path ahead that will be complicated, and we will try to do everything to come out victorious.Messi has also downplayed his place among World Cup greats. Although it is a source of pride to be able to compete with them all, it doesnt mean anything to me, he said after matchday one.In the end, it is statistics and nothing else.Here are the nine players to have scored more than 10 goals at the World Cup. Among the players involved in 2026, Englands Harry Kane is on 10 and Portugals Cristiano Ronaldo and Brazils Neymar are each on eight.PlayerTeamGoalsMatchesLionel MessiArgentina1828Kylian MbappeFrance1616Miroslav KloseGermany1624RonaldoBrazil1519Gerd MullerWest Germany1413Just FontaineFrance136PeleBrazil1214Jurgen KlinsmannWest Germany/Germany1117Sandor KocsisHungary115France vs Iraq: World Cup delay disadvantage Mbappe was asked about signals he appeared to make towards the officials when the win over Iraq was disrupted in Philadelphia, where the second half started more than two hours after the first finished because of lightning strikes in the area.It wasnt annoyance, but it was because the part of the pitch where we were attacking was waterlogged, explained Mbappe.They spent 20 minutes clearing the side where we defend, but they didnt spend any time clearing the side where we attack. So that is a disadvantage.I wanted them to spend the same amount of time clearing both sides of the pitch or, if they had to choose, clear the side where we attack and let it slow down on the other side. So its more about that.Its just in the heat of the moment. [Its] the fact of waiting for two hours, and then when you [re-emerge] you see that they didnt protect the pitch normally they are supposed to cover it.[That] creates a little bit of irritation, but it passes.World Cup 2026: Ousmane Dembele uniqueBallon dOr holder Ousmane Dembele set up Mbappes second goal and scored Frances third, opening his account at a major tournament after 13 appearances at the World Cup and seven at the EURO without scoring.The whole team wanted him to score, said Mbappe. We wanted to feed him because he is an essential player.We know that when he plays like he played today, its entirely beneficial for us, and the team will be even better.Its clear that there is a desire for Ousmane to feel good and feel comfortable no matter where he plays, so long as he can play his football.When he plays his football, he is a unique and special player. He had the chance to be decisive today, but I think even if he hadnt been decisive, you could feel it in his touches, his willingness to take initiative, and everything he undertook that he felt good.Its very good for us and we are very happy.Mbappe World Cup fixtures: Confirmed schedule, kick off timesHere how Frances schedule and potential knockout stage paths look, as well as how to watch in the UK.DateMatchResultStageTime (BST)ETPTChannelJune 16Senegal3-1Group20:0015:0012:00BBCJune 22Iraq3-0Group22:0017:0014:00BBCJune 26NorwayGroup20:0015:0012:00ITVJune 30 / July 1/2/3TBCRound of 32TBCTBCTBCTBCJuly 4/5/6/7TBCRound of 16TBCTBCTBCTBCJuly 9/10/11TBCQuarter-finalsTBCTBCTBCTBCJuly 14/15TBCSemi-finalsTBCTBCTBCTBCJuly 18TBCThird-placed match22:0017:0014:00TBCJuly 19TBCFinal20:0015:0012:00BBC, ITV Topics 2026 FIFA World Cup Adrien Rabiot Argentina National Football Team Aurelien Tchouameni Dayot Upamecano Didier Deschamps France National Football Team Ibrahima Konate Jean-Philippe Mateta Kylian Mbapp Lionel Messi Michael Olise N'Golo Kante Ousmane Dembele Rayan Cherki William Saliba World Cup World Cup 2026 Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read Haaland eyes France decider: Ill definitely get criticism Ben Miller 23rd June, 2026 World Cup 2026: Full fixtures, dates, games, schedule and results from FIFA football finals Ben Miller 23rd June, 2026 World Cup 2026: Full list of confirmed teams, fixtures, groups and results Ben Miller 23rd June, 2026 Kylian Mbappe: World Cup 2026 playing schedule, fixtures, kick off times, where to watch, confirmed news updates and full France squad Ben Miller 23rd June, 2026 FIFA World Cup 2026: Full France fixtures, results, schedule, confirmed squad, next match, kick off times Ben Miller 23rd June, 2026 World Cup 2026: Where to watch FIFA football finals in UK, TV channel, live online streams, BBC and ITV schedule Ben Miller 23rd June, 2026
