Kylian Mbappe scored twice to move joint-second in the all-time World Cup goalscoring list as France cruised past Iraq in a weather-delayed game in Philadelphia. | Photo Credit: AP

France coach Didier Deschamps believes Kylian Mbappe is well on course to become the highest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history after the striker equalled Miroslav Klose’s tally of 16 goals in France’s 3-0 win over Iraq on Monday.

Mbappe struck twice to take his tournament tally to four, matching the former Germany striker’s career World Cup record. Only Lionel Messi now stands ahead on 18 goals after the Argentina captain scored twice against Austria earlier on Monday.

“Records are there to be broken,” Deschamps said after the match. “He has 100 caps, he has always scored goals and he will score more.

“Take Messi, take Cristiano Ronaldo. I’m not sure Kylian will play until their age, but as long as he’s on the pitch and feeling good, he’ll keep scoring. Every time he breaks one record, he has the ability to raise the bar again.”

Mbappe’s brace came under unusual circumstances, with the second half delayed for nearly one and a half hours because of severe weather.

Asked how France spent the unexpected break, Deschamps joked: “We played cards.”

He added: “We were just waiting as the restart kept getting pushed back. The most important thing was having another 20-minute warm-up so neither team took unnecessary risks. The heavy rain made the pitch difficult. It was the first time I’d experienced something like that, and the same goes for my players.”

Despite the disruption, Deschamps felt organisers had little choice.

“It was frustrating, but it was about safety. You can’t fight against rain and lightning. We stayed together, joked around and waited. These were very unusual circumstances and I hope they don’t happen again.”

Deschamps also welcomed Ousmane Dembele’s first goal of the tournament, backing the Ballon d’Or winner to play a decisive role as France progresses.

“As long as Ousmane is physically fit, it’s just about fine-tuning,” he said. “I trust him completely. He’s not someone who doubts himself, and what he did today is important because he’s a decisive player.”

Published on Jun 23, 2026