June 23, 2026
Kylian Mbappe scored his second brace of the tournament and France eased to a 3-0 victory over Iraq on Monday in the first match of this World Cup beset by a lengthy weather stoppage.
Mbappe's goals came nearly three hours apart after thunderstorms in the region delayed the second-half kickoff by a shade under two hours.
They take him to 16 all-time World Cup tallies, pulling him level with former record-holder Miroslav Klose. Earlier Monday, Lionel Messi set a new benchmark of 18 career World Cup goals with his brace in Argentina's 2-0 victory over Austria.
Mbappe's four goals also place him one behind Messi in the 2026 Golden Boot race.
