Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappe Lead Record Chase At 2026 FIFA World Cup

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is only 10 days old, but football’s biggest stars are already tearing through the record books.

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane and Erling Haaland all made decisive starts to their campaigns, setting up a tournament that could produce a wave of historic achievements before the final whistle is blown.

Messi moved level with former Germany striker Miroslav Klose as the leading scorer in World Cup history after netting a hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Algeria.

The Argentina captain now has 16 World Cup goals and needs just one more to become the outright record holder.

France forward Mbappe is also closing in on the mark. The 27-year-old, who recently became France’s all-time leading scorer with 58 international goals, has 14 World Cup goals and remains firmly in contention.

England captain Harry Kane also strengthened his place in the history books after scoring twice in the Three Lions’ 4-2 win over Croatia.

The brace took Kane to 10 World Cup goals, drawing him level with Gary Lineker as England’s leading scorer at the tournament.

Kane’s latest appearance was also his 115th for England, matching David Beckham’s tally among the country’s most-capped players.

The race for the Golden Boot is already taking shape after the opening round of matches.

Messi, Germany’s Denis Undav and Canada’s Jonathan David lead the standings with three goals each, while Kane, Mbappe and Haaland sit just one goal behind.

Mbappe is bidding to become the first player to win the World Cup Golden Boot twice after claiming the award in Qatar four years ago. Kane is chasing the same feat after finishing as the tournament’s top scorer in 2018.

Ronaldo added another landmark to his remarkable career despite Portugal’s 1-1 draw against DR Congo. The 41-year-old became only the second player, alongside Messi, to appear at six World Cup tournaments.

He also set a new record as the oldest outfield player ever to start a World Cup match, taking the field at 41 years and 132 days.

Should Ronaldo score during the tournament, he will become the first player to find the net in six different World Cups.

Haaland, meanwhile, enjoyed a dream start to his first World Cup campaign. The Norway striker scored twice in a 4-1 win over Iraq, becoming the first player to net a World Cup brace for his country.

The goals also lifted him level with Kjetil Rekdal as Norway’s all-time leading scorer at the World Cup after just one appearance.

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha also etched his name into tournament history during his side’s goalless draw against Spain. The veteran produced seven saves to secure a point on his country’s World Cup debut.

At 40 years and 12 days old, Vozinha became the oldest player to feature in a nation’s first World Cup match and the oldest goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet on his World Cup finals debut.

France manager Didier Deschamps is also closing in on a major milestone. The Frenchman is one victory away from equalling Helmut Schon’s record of 16 World Cup wins as a coach and could surpass the mark before the end of the group stage.

Elsewhere, discipline has emerged as an early talking point. Six red cards have already been shown at the tournament, exceeding the totals recorded at both the 2018 and 2022 editions.

The World Cup record of 28 red cards, set in 2006, remains some distance away, but with dozens of matches still to be played, it remains within sight.