In the first round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage, France played against Senegal. Mbappe scored twice, bringing his FIFA World Cup goal tally to 14, equaling Gerd Müller, and just two goals shy of Klose's FIFA World Cup scoring record.

In this match against Senegal, Mbappe scored one goal in the 66th minute and another in injury time of the second half, bringing his FIFA World Cup goal tally to 14 in 15 appearances.

This places him above Messi and Fontaine (13 goals) on the all-time FIFA World Cup goalscorer list, level with Gerd Müller (14 goals), and only behind Klose (16 goals) and Ronaldo (15 goals).