Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé have set a new standard for World Cup partnerships. The French forwards combined for six goals and assists at the 2026 tournament, breaking a record that had stood since FIFA began officially tracking assists in 1966.
The previous record of five combined goal contributions was shared by Poland’s Andrzej Szarmach and Grzegorz Lato, and Germany’s Miroslav Klose and Michael Ballack.
The connection produced across matches against Australia, Poland, Iraq, Norway, and Sweden. Dembélé secured a tournament hat-trick, joining Just Fontaine and Mbappé as the only French players to achieve the feat.
Mbappé now sits on 18 career World Cup goals, leaving him one behind Lionel Messi’s all-time record of 19. He first emerged on the global stage as a teenager in 2018, scoring four goals as France won the title in Russia. He followed that with an iconic hat-trick in the 2022 final against Argentina, though France lost on penalties.