Mbappé reaches 100 caps for France against Iraq at the 2026 World Cup
Kylian Mbappé reaches a round milestone in his career this Monday, June 22: his 100th match in the France national team shirt. The stage is Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, and the opponent is Iraq, in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup. Captain of Les Bleus, the forward joins a select club – only ten players in France’s entire history have reached that number of caps.
A restricted club and a chase for another record
Reaching 100 appearances for one of the world’s greatest national teams would already be enough for any player. For Mbappé, it is just another step. At 25, he anchors a list that includes names such as Thierry Henry, Lilian Thuram and Hugo Lloris – absolute references of French football over the last decades.
But what excites the fans even more is another number: 14. That is the number of goals Mbappé has scored at World Cups so far. Lionel Messi holds the all-time record with 18 goals at World Cups. That would be enough for the Frenchman to overtake the Argentine and become the all-time top scorer of the tournament. With France still in the group stage and on course to advance, time is on his side.
From Luxembourg to the top of the world
Mbappé’s debut for the national team came on March 25, 2017, in a 3-1 win over Luxembourg in qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. It seemed too soon. It was not. Less than a year and a half later, he was finding the net in Kazan, in the match against Peru, and soon after dismantled Argentina in the round of 16 with a performance still talked about today.
In the final of that same World Cup, against Croatia, he became the second-youngest player to score in a World Cup final – behind only Pelé. France won 4-2. Mbappé was 19 years old and had a world title on his résumé.
In 2022, in Qatar, he went even further. Eight goals in the competition, including a hat-trick in the final against Argentina – a feat that did not settle the outcome, as the French lost on penalties. Even so, he took home the Golden Boot and set a new record: four goals in World Cup finals, no other player has come close to that.
Historic scorer and now captain
In France’s opener at this 2026 World Cup, against Senegal, Mbappé scored twice and overtook Olivier Giroud as the national team’s all-time top scorer – his 58th international goal in his 99th appearance. Today he leads the French attack not only with his talent, but with the armband. It is his responsibility to lead the team in pursuit of back-to-back titles.
This Monday’s game in Philadelphia celebrates a number. But what Mbappé is building goes far beyond round figures.
