History could be written in Nantes. Thursday evening, the French team hosts Ivory Coast at La Beaujoire for its first preparation match for the 2026 World Cup. A meeting which could allow Kylian Mbappé to equal or beat a prestigious record.
Expected to start up front against the Elephants, surrounded by Michael Olise on the right, Rayan Cherki in the center and Marcus Thuram or Bradley Barcola on the left, the Real Madrid striker (28 years old) is very close to becoming the top scorer in the history of the Blues.
Before kick-off, the French captain has 56 goals in 95 caps and is only a short distance behind Olivier Giroud, author of 57 goals in 137 caps. The chances that he will dethrone him before flying to the United States are therefore great.
Kylian Mbappé in history against Ivory Coast?
After Ivory Coast, Didier Deschamps’ players will face Northern Ireland next Monday in Lille. They will then return to their base camp across the Atlantic, where they will meet Senegal (June 16), Iraq (June 22) and Norway (June 26) in Group I.
There, Kylian Mbappé will have another record to seek: that of the greatest number of goals scored in the World Cup. It is Miroslav Klose who still sits at the top of this ranking (16 goals), ahead of Ronaldo Nazario (15 goals) and Gerd Müller (14 goals).
With 12 goals, the former Parisian is for the moment only the second best Frenchman behind the legend Just Fontaine and his 13 goals, all scored during the 1958 World Cup. But his tally could quickly get carried away during this “World Cup” on North American soil.
