Kylian Mbappé's World Cup Pursuit: Chasing History and the Trophy
Kylian Mbappé is hunting history, but he has eyes for only one prize.
The French forward moved to within a single strike of Lionel Messi’s all-time World Cup scoring record on Tuesday night, yet every word afterwards pointed not to the record books but to New York on July 19 – the date and place of the final.
In Philadelphia, Mbappé tore through Sweden, scoring twice in a 3-0 win in the round of 32. That double took him to 18 World Cup goals in 18 games, one behind Messi’s 19, and level with the Argentine on six at the top of this tournament’s scoring chart.
“The goal is to go as far as possible – to make it to July 19th and come back here,” he told reporters, framing the chase in the simplest terms: trophy first, everything else a by-product.
He acknowledged the numbers, but brushed them aside with the same ease with which he had dismissed Sweden’s back line.
“The more goals you score, the higher you climb in the rankings – I’m not telling anyone anything new there,” he said. “But I’m also convinced that Leo is going to score more goals, so I don’t focus too much on that. I’m more focused on the opponents we might face and how close we’re getting to our goal: the final.”
Messi’s route continues against Cape Verde in the last 32 on Friday. France’s path looks trickier on paper: Paraguay in the last 16, then a quarter-final against either co-hosts Canada or Morocco.
Paraguay, though, have already shown they care little for reputations.
They dragged Germany into a trench war on Monday, sitting deep, defending in numbers and eventually dumping the four-time world champions out on penalties. There is no suggestion they will suddenly open up against France in Philadelphia on Saturday. Mbappé knows it.
“I think we’ll keep working between now and the Paraguay match to see what we can improve, because there are still some sequences that aren't quite clear enough, there’s room for improvement,” he said. “Still, I think it’s positive overall, and our ability to score goals means we always have the chance to take the lead in matches.”
France’s display against Sweden underlined that point. Mbappé’s brace, the fluid movement around him, the ruthless finishing – all of it came wrapped in a moment of raw emotion when the players sprinted to embrace Didier Deschamps after one of his goals, a gesture towards a coach grieving the recent death of his mother.
“I think that reflects the spirit of this group – it's part of our DNA. We are all together,” Mbappé told beIN Sports. “We know the coach has been through a difficult experience; unfortunately, everyone goes through that at some point and it's very hard.”
France are not the only heavyweight with something to prove in the knockout rounds. Belgium, too, are trying to stretch a golden generation’s story a little further.
Belgium step out of the shadows – and into a trap?
Four years ago in Qatar, Belgium crashed out in the group stage, a brutal comedown from their third-place finish at Russia 2018. This time, they have at least cleared that first hurdle.
A 5-1 demolition of New Zealand on Friday sealed top spot in Group G, delivering exactly what coach Rudi Garcia demanded from the opening phase. One win, two draws, and crucially, a ticket to the knockouts.
“We wanted to finish first in the group stage and we succeeded,” Garcia said in French. “Of course we wanted to win more — we know the story of our World Cup so far. Now it is time for the knockout phase. Senegal is a big team. But, you have to beat them, too, if you want to go far in a World Cup.”
Senegal await in the round of 32 on Wednesday, and the warning signs are everywhere.
The African champions finished third in a brutal Group I behind France and Erling Haaland’s Norway, yet emerged with three points and a plus-2 goal difference. They then thrashed Iraq 5-0, with Sadio Mané leading an attack that looks more than capable of troubling a Belgian defence that has conceded just twice in three games behind Thibaut Courtois.
Romelu Lukaku, speaking in French, did not sugarcoat the assignment.
“We know it will be a tough match,” he said. “Senegal has a lot of top-level players, and the coach is, too. I think it’s 50-50. We really shouldn’t underestimate them.”
Events elsewhere have already underlined the danger of complacency. Within hours of those comments, Germany were bundled out by Paraguay on penalties, while Morocco sent the Netherlands spinning to their earliest World Cup exit.
Belgium have taken note.
“It doesn’t matter who the favorite is,” said forward Charles De Ketelaere. “We have confidence and need to be sharp. Yesterday showed that it doesn’t matter if you are the favorite.”
Senegal, for their part, must deal with a significant blow at the back. Goalkeeper Édouard Mendy, injured in a 3-2 loss to Norway in the group stage, will not play. Coach Pape Thiaw confirmed that reserve Mory Diaw, who kept a clean sheet against Iraq, is set to start again.
“Mory had a great performance,” Thiaw said in French. “He kept a clean sheet and I think (as) the goalkeeper tomorrow, we hope that we’ll also come up with a clean sheet.”
Thiaw has watched Paraguay and Morocco tear up the script. He sees no reason his side cannot do the same.
“It’s not because you finished top of your group that you’re not going to be knocked out in the next round,” he said. “That’s exactly what happened with the Netherlands. It’s another tournament starting. We are looking for the win tomorrow so that we can continue our journey.”
Garcia, meanwhile, has one more card up his sleeve, even if he is not yet ready to play it. Center back Zeno Debast, who has missed the tournament so far with a left leg injury, is back training after an MRI at the weekend and will be available – but not from the start.
“Zeno Debast is with the group, but tomorrow is still too soon,” Garcia said. “He is making progress, though. He still needs time to get fully fit, as was anticipated. I am very satisfied with the defenders we have already called upon.”
For Kevin De Bruyne, Lukaku and the rest of Belgium’s ageing core, the stakes are obvious. The window is closing. Senegal, in Seattle, will test just how much is left.
England walk the tightrope
If any European giant needed a reminder of how precarious this World Cup has become, Monday night delivered it in brutal fashion. Germany gone. The Netherlands gone. Both on penalties. Both toppled by teams who refused to be intimidated.
England step into that same minefield on Wednesday against the Democratic Republic of Congo, chasing a place in the last 16 and still chasing something bigger: the end of a 60-year wait for a major trophy.
They will do so in Atlanta as clear favourites, and Thomas Tuchel did not bother dodging that label.
“I feel it is a privilege to be in these situations. I think we can just accept it, we are the favorites (against DR Congo),” he said on Tuesday.
Then came the caveat.
“The games so far in round of 32 speak a very clear language,” Tuchel warned. “It's narrow, narrow margins.”
England will lean heavily on Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, their two world-class pillars, but must cope without influential defender Reece James, ruled out through injury. The margins tighten further.
DR Congo arrive with nothing to lose and a squad stitched together from across the football world. Of the 26 players, 20 were born outside the country, many in France. Yoane Wissa is a familiar face to England’s defenders from the Premier League. Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Axel Tuanzebe both represented England at youth level before choosing the nation of their roots.
Coach Sébastien Desabre knows exactly where the pressure lies.
“Our World Cup is already a success relative to our goals,” the Frenchman said. “The pressure is on the England team.”
England have seen what happens when favourites blink. They cannot afford to join Germany and the Netherlands on the plane home.
A night that could change American football
While Europe wrestles with its own nerves, the United States stands on the brink of a different kind of moment.
In a crowded American sports landscape, football has long fought for space. Wednesday’s knockout tie against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the San Francisco Bay Area could shift that conversation in a single primetime broadcast.
Up to 30 million viewers are expected to tune in as Christian Pulisic and his teammates chase the country’s first World Cup knockout win in almost 25 years. It is not just a match; it is a measuring stick.
“Everyone knows in the back of our minds what this could do for this country,” midfielder Gio Reyna said. “We feel the country rallying around us. We see the momentum it's bringing to the sport in this country, just through the group stage. But we also understand if we make a nice run in this tournament, what it could really do for the sport.”
The numbers tell one story. The noise around this team tells another. A win would push both to a new level.
Haaland, Norway and the shifting order
Not every storyline belongs to the traditional powers.
Erling Haaland, the force around which Norway’s hopes orbit, delivered again, poking home the goal that sealed a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast and sent his country into the last 16 for the first time.
It was a scrappy finish, not a highlight-reel strike, but it carried the weight of history. Norway move on. Ivory Coast go home. The hierarchy shifts again.
Across the bracket, giants stumble and new contenders emerge. Mbappé chases Messi. Belgium cling to one last shot. England balance on the edge of expectation. The USA stand in front of a television audience they have never known.
The World Cup has reached the stage where every game redraws the map. Who still dares to think they are safe?
