Awaiting the Mbappe vs. Haaland battle.

Messi is in explosive form, seemingly hinting to Mbappe at a rematch between Argentina and France, three and a half years after the final in Qatar. Ronaldo has also scored his first World Cup goals, confirming, "I'm still here." But while we wait to see if those high-level individual showdowns can happen, the Mbappe-Haaland battle is drawing very near.

The impact Mbappe made on world football eight years ago, at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, remains deeply ingrained. Back then, people marveled at the talent of a player not yet 20 years old who had exploded onto the scene, leading France to the World Cup victory. The Golden Ball was awarded to Luka Modric for his contributions to Croatia's extraordinary journey, but it was Mbappe who captured the world's attention. People said he would challenge the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry.

Haaland scored a brace in Norway's 3-2 victory over Senegal. Photo: AP

Eight years later, the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry continues, albeit somewhat cooled. Mbappe hasn't won a Ballon d'Or or a Champions League title, but he continues to excel at scoring goals for both his national team and club. He is the top scorer in the history of the French national team with 60 goals, and he ignited World Cup stadiums with four goals against Senegal and Iraq. Yes, Messi is celebrated for making history as the top scorer in World Cup history with 18 goals, but let's not forget that Mbappe is right behind him with 16 goals, just two goals less than the living legend from Argentina. And let's not forget that Messi's new record could be broken by Mbappe himself, as Messi is playing his last World Cup and is 39 years old, while Mbappe is only playing his third World Cup and is 27, 12 years younger than Messi.

But right now, Mbappe has no desire to talk about individual rivalries with Messi. He insists that the team's goal comes first: winning the World Cup. Mbappe, born in Bondy, a suburb of Paris, with a Cameroonian father and an Algerian mother, humbly says that Messi is the one who inspires him, pushing him to constantly move forward. But a reunion between him and Messi at this World Cup will probably have to wait, and for now, Mbappe has another battle to fight: the battle with Haaland for the top spot in Group I.

In theory, France is still stronger than Norway, and Mbappe has achieved more in his career than Haaland, who is making his World Cup debut. However, Haaland is determined, and Norway is hungry for new victories. Coach Stale Solbakken's team is flying high. Their Viking-style rowing has spread throughout the World Cup, following tens of thousands of Norwegian fans everywhere. Norway has won 12 consecutive matches, and in 11 of those 12 wins, they scored three or more goals per game.

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So what are Norway's and Haaland's goals? “Can we win the World Cup? Absolutely not,” Haaland said in a press conference, “but we’re here to have fun and we’re enjoying it.” Haaland has also scored 4 goals in this World Cup, like Mbappe. He has also been a joy for statisticians: He has scored 59 goals in 52 appearances for Norway, averaging 1.13 goals per game. He was also the top scorer in the World Cup qualifiers with 16 goals. He has also scored in 18 of 21 matches for Norway, a team that in the last three World Cups has never achieved two consecutive group stage wins like in this tournament.

France faces Norway, and Mbappe goes up against Haaland. This will be the first major clash between two world- class strikers in a World Cup match. Undoubtedly, the game will be highly anticipated as these two superstars meet. Mbappe is excellent, and Haaland is also on the rise. The World Cup is becoming increasingly exciting.

Match schedule for June 25th

5 o'clock, Group C: Morocco-Haiti; Scotland-Brazil

8:00 AM, Group A: South Africa-South Korea; Czech Republic-Mexico

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Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/the-thao/worldcup-2026/doi-cho-cuoc-chien-mbappe-haaland-1046018