How Mbappe, Haaland, Messi And Kane Rose To Each Other’s Levels At The World Cup

The opening round of group games at the 2026 World Cup took a while to catch fire, with several of the favourites stuttering before they found their feet. Then the biggest names took over, one after another, each matching the last.

Anyone who backed the stars early would have been rewarded inside the space of a couple of days, as Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi, and Harry Kane all delivered for their countries, with Kane in particular now looking to build on his tally as England push deeper into the tournament, as highlighted in the England vs Congo Odds.

What stood out was the timing. As one forward set the standard, the next answered, turning a slow start to the tournament into a run of standout individual displays.

In this article, we look at how four of the game’s leading forwards rose to each other’s levels in the opening week.

Mbappe sets the standard

Kylian Mbappe went first. France struggled badly in the first half against Senegal, managing one shot, but Mbappe settled the game after the break with two goals in a 3-1 win. His second, a strike from around 30 yards, took him to 58 goals for his country and made him France’s all-time leading scorer. It also moved him to 14 World Cup goals, within range of the all-time record. He has now scored at three consecutive World Cups, having found the net in the 2018 final and again in the 2022 final defeat to Argentina.

Related: The Teams That Shocked Everyone At The 2026 World Cup

Haaland answers on debut

Erling Haaland had waited his whole career for a World Cup, with Norway absent since 1998. He made up for lost time. On his tournament debut against Iraq, Haaland scored twice in a 4-1 win, opening his account inside half an hour and pouncing on a goalkeeping error before the break. At 25, he matched Mbappe’s level on the same day, and Norway sit among the early surprises in North America. His father, Alfie Haaland, had played for Norway at the 1994 World Cup, which gave the moment a family thread.

Messi makes it three in a row

Lionel Messi then went one better. The Argentina captain scored a hat-trick in his side’s win over Algeria, a third standout display from a leading forward in the opening days. At 38, Messi became the oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick, and the treble took him to 16 World Cup goals, level with Germany’s Miroslav Klose at the top of the all-time list.

Kane responds after Ronaldo blank

The one big name who could not follow suit was Cristiano Ronaldo, held scoreless as Portugal drew 1-1 with DR Congo. Harry Kane made sure England did not miss their chance. He scored twice against Croatia in a 4-2 win in Dallas, a penalty and a header from a corner, to equal Gary Lineker’s England record of 10 World Cup goals. He also became the second England player after David Beckham to score at three different World Cups. Those keeping track of football betting odds took note of how quickly England’s attack clicked. With England due to play DR Congo on Wednesday after topping Group L, all eyes will be on whether Kane can add even more goals to his tally and challenge for the Golden Boot.

Four of the tournament’s headline forwards had all delivered within a few days of each other, lifting the World Cup out of a cautious start. With the knockout rounds to come, the run was a reminder of how much these players can still shape a tournament.

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