Kylian Mbappe set to play his 100th match for Les Bleus
In his 99th appearance, he became France's all-time top scorer when he netted a brace against Senegal
FIFA looks back at Mbappe's most memorable appearances for his country
Kylian Mbappe is primed to win his 100th cap for France when he leads out Les Bleus against Iraq on Monday. This marks another milestone in an extraordinary career which has seen him become the tenth French player in history to reach a century of international appearances.
His Les Bleus journey began on 25 March 2017 in a 3-1 victory in Luxembourg, during the qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2018™. Five caps later, the 18-year-old prodigy scored his first goal in a 4-0 win against the Netherlands at the Stade de France.
If France knew him after he won the Ligue 1 title with Monaco in 2017, the world truly discovered Mbappe one year later when he electrified in a World Cup last-16 clash against Argentina. Having already scored in a 1-0 win over Peru in the group stage at Russia 2018, the striker took his game to a whole new level that evening.
His run into the box in the 11th minute, which led to the penalty converted by Antoine Griezmann, set the tone. After half-time, he turned the match on its head with a sensational brace. Les Bleus’ 4-3 victory marked the start of their triumphant march to Moscow.
In the title decider against Croatia, Mbappe became the second-youngest goalscorer in World Cup final history, behind Pele.
France won 4-2 and Mbappe was crowned world champion at the age of 19 years and 207 days.
The World Cup triumph propelled Mbappe into a whole new dimension. Having become indispensable to the national team, he suffered his first major disappointment at EURO 2020 (played in 2021), which ended with a penalty-shootout defeat to Switzerland in the last 16.
The response came a year later in the UEFA Nations League. On his 50th international appearance, in the semi-final against Belgium, Mbappe played a key part as Les Bleus mounted a stunning comeback from 2-0 down to win 3-2.
A few days later, in the final against Spain, he scored the winning goal in a 2-1 victory, securing another trophy for France.
At the , Mbappe scaled even greater heights. He scored against Australia in a 4-1 win, netted a brace in a 2-1 victory over Denmark, and bagged another double as Poland were beaten 3-1. His exceptional performances helped France go all the way to the final.
His 66th international appearance is undoubtedly his most memorable. Trailing 2-0 to Argentina with ten minutes remaining in the final, France seemed doomed. Mbappe then reignited his side’s hopes with a penalty before equalising less than a minute later with a spectacular volley following a lay-off from Marcus Thuram.
In extra-time, after the Albiceleste had regained the lead, he converted another penalty to become the second player in history to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final.
Despite the defeat on penalties, he won the adidas Golden Boot thanks to his eight strikes and took his total number of goals in World Cup finals to four – a new record.
Having since become Les Bleus captain, Mbappe led France to the UEFA EURO 2024 semi-finals before continuing his rise up the all-time scoring charts for the national team.
On 16 June 2026, in Les Bleus’ opening match at the World Cup 2026, he scored a brace in a 3-1 win against Senegal. His 58th goal for France saw him overtake Olivier Giroud to become the all-time leading goalscorer for the national team, on the occasion of his 99th cap.
“I play to make history for my country, to ensure my team reaches the final and wins the World Cup," he said after the match. "The rest will simply be part of who I am and my career."
The next milestone in his sights will be 103 caps – the total held by Didier Deschamps, his long-standing coach and ninth on the list of players with the most caps for Les Bleus. If the team were to progress further in this World Cup and he was to play every game, Mbappe would equal that total in the Round of 16.
Hugo Lloris remains the player with the most caps for Les Bleus with 145 appearances but, with many years ahead of him, few would back against Mbappe overtaking the former France goalkeeper.
Sources: FIFA Official
