Real Madrid superstar striker Kylian Mbappe was the most popular name at the 2026 World Cup, as he set two prestigious records with 10 goals in back to back World Cups to win back to back Golden Boots and he also set a record already after just three World Cups with 22 career goals at the tournament.
Even though the French national team fell short and finished fourth in the World Cup this summer, which means Real Madrid fans won't care too much about the individual accolades, Mbappe had a splendid World Cup and before things fell apart against the Spanish juggernaut, everyone was raving about his improved leadership and attitude.
Mbappe at the World Cup is just different gravy, and if his 10 goals and 4 assists at the 2026 version of the tournament was impressive, he now has a license to do even more damage at the age of 31 in four years when the 2030 World Cup comes to familiar territory in the Mediterranean.
Kylian Mbappe will love these World Cup changes
Because as has been rumored for months, CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez has confirmed that the World Cup field will indeed be expanding even further to 64 teams from the record 48 this year.
The motivations for FIFA to expand the tournament are obvious, as more games mean more money, and smaller countries will vote for these measures since it makes it more likely for them to go to the World Cup and benefit from exposure and finances.
But superstar players like Kylian Mbappe are the biggest benefactors of these changes. They get to play more games and more games against smaller teams where it is easier for them to score, and that plays a huge role in them getting old records to tumble.
Mbappe struggled against Spain in a huge game in the World Cup semifinals, but he was on fire in pretty much every other match, destroying defenses. Now, he did score a lot of goals against teams that would likely be in the World Cup regardless like Senegal, but he also benefited from facing teams that may not have been in there either like Sweden and Iraq.
With 22 career World Cup goals, every tournament Mbappe plays in going forward is another chance to stack an insurmountable record, and because it is hard to envision the World Cup ever going back to 32 teams, he will have to keep stacking goals to make sure someone in the future does not beat him either.
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