Top Scorers at the World Cup of All Time
Since the first World Cup in 1930, only a handful of players have managed to etch their names into history as true World Cup goalscoring legends. Germany's Miroslav Klose held the record on 16 for twelve years, until the 2026 tournament in North America, where both Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé went past him. Mbappé finished on 22. Here is the definitive list of the greatest World Cup goalscorers of all time.
| Rank | Player | Country | Goals | Tournaments | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 | Kylian MbappéRecord holder | France | 22 | 3 | 2018–2026 |
| 🥈 | Argentina | 21 | 6 | 2006–2026 | |
| 🥉 | Miroslav Klose | Germany | 16 | 4 | 2002–2014 |
| 4 | Ronaldo R9 | Brazil | 15 | 4 | 1994–2006 |
| 5 | Gerd Müller | West Germany | 14 | 2 | 1970–1974 |
| 5 | England | 14 | 3 | 2018–2026 | |
| 7 | Just Fontaine | France | 13 | 1 | 1958 |
| 8 | Pelé | Brazil | 12 | 4 | 1958–1970 |
| 9 | Sándor Kocsis | Hungary | 11 | 1 | 1954 |
| 9 | Jürgen Klinsmann | Germany | 11 | 3 | 1990–1998 |
| 9 | Portugal | 11 | 6 | 2006–2026 |
Key Facts
- →Kylian Mbappé passed Miroslav Klose at the 2026 World Cup and holds the record at 22 goals
- →Messi went past Klose at the same tournament, taking his tally from 16 to 21
- →Mbappé needed 22 matches to reach 22 goals. Messi took 34, and Cristiano Ronaldo has 11 in 27
- →Just Fontaine scored 13 goals in a single tournament in 1958 — still untouched, though Mbappé reached 10 in 2026
- →Mbappé is the only player to finish as a World Cup top scorer twice, in 2022 and 2026
- →Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored at six different World Cups, more than any other player
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the all-time top scorer at the World Cup?
Kylian Mbappé of France is the all-time top scorer at the FIFA World Cup with 22 goals across three tournaments between 2018 and 2026. He passed Miroslav Klose, whose 16 had stood since 2014, during the 2026 tournament.
Who scored the most goals in a single World Cup?
Just Fontaine of France scored 13 goals in just six matches at the 1958 World Cup — a record that has never been beaten.
How many World Cup goals has Lionel Messi scored?
Lionel Messi has scored 21 World Cup goals across six tournaments from 2006 to 2026, second only to Kylian Mbappé. Messi won the 2022 World Cup with Argentina and reached the final again in 2026, losing to Spain.
How many World Cup goals has Kylian Mbappé scored?
Kylian Mbappé has scored 22 World Cup goals across three tournaments — 2018, 2022 and 2026 — which is the all-time record. Ten of them came in 2026, when he won a second consecutive Golden Boot.
Did Cristiano Ronaldo score at five World Cups?
Yes, and he has since gone one better. Cristiano Ronaldo scored at the 2026 World Cup as well, making him the only player in history to have scored at six different World Cup tournaments.
How many World Cup goals did Pelé score?
Pelé scored 12 goals across four World Cup tournaments between 1958 and 1970, winning the Golden Boot at the 1958 tournament aged just 17.
Who holds the record for most World Cup goals in one game?
Oleg Salenko of Russia scored five goals in a single World Cup match against Cameroon at the 1994 World Cup — the most by any player in one game.
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