Kylian Mbappé Aims for World Cup Glory, Not Just Goals
Kylian Mbappé is chasing Lionel Messi, but not in the way you might think.
The numbers are outrageous enough. Two more goals in France’s ruthless 3-0 dismantling of Sweden in the round of 32, 18 World Cup goals in 18 games, six at this tournament alone, and now just one behind Messi’s all-time record of 19 on the biggest stage. He is level with the Argentine at the top of this edition’s scoring charts.
Yet when Mbappé talks, the obsession is not the record. It is New York, July 19, the World Cup final.
“I think the goal, as I said, is to go as far as possible – to make it to July 19th and come back here,” he told reporters after France’s win, a reminder that for him, the numbers only matter if they come with a trophy.
He knows exactly what he is doing in front of goal. “Of course, the more goals you score, the higher you climb in the rankings – I’m not telling anyone anything new there,” he said, before turning the conversation away from himself. Messi, he insisted, is far from finished. “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 path runs through Cape Verde in the last 32 on Friday. France’s route is more immediate and more complicated: Paraguay in Philadelphia on Saturday, with the winner to meet either co-hosts Canada or Morocco in the quarter-finals.
Paraguay arrive with a clear identity and zero shame about it. They dragged Germany out of the tournament on Monday, sitting deep, spoiling, and then surviving long enough to win on penalties. There is no indication they will suddenly open up for Mbappé and company.
Mbappé is under no illusions. “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. The verdict on France so far? “Positive overall,” with one clear weapon: “our ability to score goals means we always have the chance to take the lead in matches.”
France underlined that against Sweden, and they did it with emotion. After one of Mbappé’s goals, the players sprinted to Didier Deschamps on the touchline, a spontaneous embrace for a coach still grieving the death of his mother this month. “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.”
On the other side of the bracket, the World Cup is stripping away reputations. Germany are gone, beaten by Paraguay. The Netherlands are out, stunned by Morocco. Heavyweights are falling, and the message is clear: no one is safe.
Belgium, scarred by a group-stage exit in 2022 and haunted by the fading light of their golden generation, have taken that lesson to heart.
This time, they did their first job properly. A 5-1 demolition of New Zealand on Friday sealed top spot in Group G and, at a minimum, a step forward from the failure in Qatar. One win, two draws, and exactly what coach Rudi Garcia demanded: first place.
“We wanted to finish first in the group stage and we succeeded,” Garcia said in French. He did not pretend that was enough. “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, a side that emerged from a brutal Group I featuring France and an Erling Haaland-led Norway. They finished third, with three points and a plus-2 goal differential, and they carry the swagger of a team that just smashed Iraq 5-0.
Belgium’s stars are not fooled by the rankings or the betting lines.
“We know it will be a tough match,” Romelu Lukaku said in French on Monday. “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.”
Within hours of those comments, Germany fell to Paraguay and Morocco dumped the Netherlands out, both on penalties. Any lingering complacency in the Belgian camp evaporated.
“It doesn’t matter who the favorite is,” forward Charles De Ketelaere said. “We have confidence and need to be sharp. Yesterday showed that it doesn’t matter if you are the favorite.”
Belgium’s edge so far has come from the back. With Thibaut Courtois in goal, they have conceded just two goals in three matches. Senegal, led by Sadio Mané, will test that defensive wall – but they will do it without their No. 1 goalkeeper.
Édouard Mendy, injured in a 3-2 loss to Norway in the group stage, will not play on Wednesday, coach Pape Thiaw confirmed. Mory Diaw, who started in Mendy’s place and kept a clean sheet against Iraq, is set to continue.
“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 the same upsets as everyone else and drawn a clear conclusion. “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.”
Belgium, meanwhile, have a minor boost in reserve. Center back Zeno Debast, yet to feature at this World Cup due to a left leg injury, is back in full training after an MRI on Saturday. He worked with tape on his left knee on Tuesday and is available, but Garcia does not plan to rush him.
“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.”
While Belgium and Senegal prepare to collide in Seattle, England and the United States brace for their own defining nights.
England’s date is with the Democratic Republic of Congo in Atlanta, a last-16 spot on the line and the shadow of recent shocks hanging over them. Germany and the Netherlands are already gone. England do not want their name added to that list.
The stakes run deeper than this one match. The Three Lions are chasing the end of a 60-year wait for a major trophy. They will do it without Reece James, ruled out through injury, but with Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane carrying the burden of expectation.
Thomas Tuchel is not running from that pressure. He is leaning into it.
“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),” the England coach said on Tuesday. Then came the warning. “The games so far in round of 32 speak a very clear language. It's narrow, narrow margins.”
DR Congo know exactly who they are and how they got here. Their 26-man squad is a product of a global search for roots: 20 players were born outside the country, many in France. Yoane Wissa is a familiar face to English fans from the Premier League. Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Axel Tuanzebe both wore England colours at youth level before choosing Congo.
Their coach, Sébastien Desabre, has no interest in pretending the pressure is shared.
“Our World Cup is already a success relative to our goals,” the Frenchman said. “The pressure is on the England team.”
Across the Atlantic, the United States are walking into something new. A World Cup knockout match against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the San Francisco Bay Area, under the lights, in front of a television audience expected to reach up to 30 million.
For a sport still fighting for space in America’s crowded landscape, this is a line in the sand.
“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 United States have not won a World Cup knockout game in almost 25 years. Christian Pulisic and his teammates know that history, and they know what breaking it would mean.
Back on the European front, the toll of time looms over Belgium. Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Courtois – the core of a golden generation that peaked with third place in Russia in 2018 – are running out of World Cups. Senegal, with Mané at full tilt, will force those ageing legs to prove they still belong at the sharp end of the game.
Elsewhere, the tournament keeps rewriting scripts. Mbappé and France are in full stride. Messi and Argentina have a clear runway against Cape Verde, at least on paper. Erling Haaland has finally driven Norway into the last 16, his close-range finish enough to beat Ivory Coast 2-1 and push his country into new territory.
The giants who remain can see what is happening around them. Records are tumbling, reputations are being shredded, and knockout football is punishing every lapse.
Mbappé wants New York on July 19. Belgium want one last deep run before the window closes. England want to end six decades of frustration. The United States want a moment that shifts a nation’s sporting culture.
The bracket is set up for dreams and disasters. Which of these ambitions will survive the next 90 minutes?
