List of FIFA World Cup top scorers of all time – who has scored the most goals in World Cup?
FIFA World Cup top goal scorers list? Who is the all time top goal scorer in FIFA World Cup history? Have you ever wanted to find out on whom are the top scorers of all time at the FIFA World Cup?
Well, if you have then worry not because we have prepared a list of the FIFA World Cup top scorers of all-time.
The FIFA World Cup is the biggest tournament in world football. And is also the most watched football tournament around the world. The most recent World Cup was won by Argentina in 2022. Watch & Bet Football Live =>
All time World Cup top scorers
Who is the all time leading World Cup goal scorer? Lionel Messi is now the all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup history.
With his goal against Egypt in the Round of 16 at the 2026 tournament, Messi took his career tally to 21 World Cup goals, surpassing the previous record of 16 held by Germany’s Miroslav Klose.
Hot on his heels is France’s superstar and his former PSG teammate, Kylian Mbappé, who sits just behind him on the all-time list with 19 goals.
Lionel Messi is now the World Cup top goal scorers all time
| Rank | Player | Team(s) | Goals | Matches Played | World Cup Tournaments Participated In |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel Messi # | Argentina | 21 | 31 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 |
Following his two‑goal performance against Sweden in the 2026 World Cup, Kylian Mbappe has now scored 19 goals in World Cup finals tournaments.
💥🇦🇷 Lionel Messi once again! 9 consecutive World Cup games scoring at least one goal.
21 World Cup goals in his career. pic.twitter.com/e9ieqmjs6Y
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 7, 2026
This moves him past Miroslav Klose (16 goals) and into sole possession of second place on the all‑time list.
He is now just one goal behind the all‑time leader, Lionel Messi, who has 21 goals. Watch & Bet Football Live =>
| Rank | Player | Team(s) | Goals | Matches Played | World Cup Tournaments Participated In |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Kylian Mbappé | France | 20 | 19 | 2018, 2022, 2026 |
List of FIFA World Cup top scorers all time
FIFA World Cup highest goal scorer of all time? World Cup history top goal scorers? Here is the list of all time World Cup goal scorers.
Lionel Messi has cemented his legacy as the greatest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history and is now number one on the list of the World Cup top scorers of all time.
With his 21st goal at the 2026 tournament, the Argentine superstar has broken the long-standing record of 16 goals, previously shared by Miroslav Klose and Kylian Mbappe (19 goals).
Messi’s extraordinary tally across 8 World Cups puts him 1 goal clear at the top of the all-time chart.
While Mbappe, still only 27, has matched surpassed Klose’s total with 20 goals and remains a future threat to the record, the spotlight firmly belongs to Messi.
His historic achievement in 2026 has finally settled the debate over who is the World Cup’s ultimate marksman.
Top 10 World Cup Goal Scorers of all time
Here are the top 10 World Cup top scorers of all time. The players have scored 10 goals and above.
| Rank | Player | Team(s) | Goals | Matches Played | World Cup Tournaments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 21 | 31 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 |
| 2 | Kylian Mbappé | France | 20 | 19 | 2018, 2022, 2026 |
| 3 | Miroslav Klose | Germany | 16 | 24 | 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| 4 | Ronaldo | Brazil | 15 | 19 | 1998, 2002, 2006 |
| 5 | Gerd Müller | West Germany | 14 | 13 | 1970, 1974 |
| 6 | Harry Kane | England | 14 | 15 | 2018, 2022, 2026 |
| =6 | Just Fontaine | France | 13 | 6 | 1958 |
| 7 | Pele | Brazil | 12 | 14 | 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 |
| 8 | Sándor Kocsis | Hungary | 11 | 5 | 1954 |
| =9 | Jurgen Klinsmann | West Germany, Germany | 11 | 17 | 1990, 1994, 1998 |
| =10 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 11 | 25 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 |
| =10 | Helmut Rahn | West Germany | 10 | 10 | 1954, 1958 |
| =10 | Gary Lineker | England | 10 | 12 | 1986, 1990 |
| =10 | Gabriel Batistuta | Argentina | 10 | 12 | 1994, 1998, 2002 |
| =10 | Teofilo Cubillas | Peru | 10 | 13 | 1970, 1978, 1982 |
| =10 | Thomas Müller | Germany | 10 | 19 | 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 |
| =10 | Grzegorz Lato | Poland | 10 | 20 | 1974, 1978, 1982 |
List of World Cup Top Goal Scorers of all time nr 15-35
Here is a list of players ranked from 15th to 35th on the list of the World Cup top scorers of all time, featuring those with 7 to 9 goals.
| Rank | Player | Team(s) | Goals | Matches | World Cup Tournaments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| =18 | Ademir | Brazil | 9 | 6 | 1950 |
| =18 | Eusebio | Portugal | 9 | 6 | 1966 |
| =18 | Christian Vieri | Italy | 9 | 9 | 1998, 2002 |
| =18 | Vavá | Brazil | 9 | 10 | 1958, 1962 |
| =18 | David Villa | Spain | 9 | 12 | 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| =18 | Paolo Rossi | Italy | 9 | 14 | 1978, 1982, 1986 |
| =18 | Jairzinho | Brazil | 9 | 16 | 1966, 1970, 1974 |
| =18 | Roberto Baggio | Italy | 9 | 16 | 1990, 1994, 1998 |
| =18 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | West Germany | 9 | 19 | 1978, 1982, 1986 |
| =18 | Uwe Seeler | West Germany | 9 | 21 | 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 |
| =28 | Neymar | Brazil | 9 | 17 | 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 |
| =28 | Guillermo Stabile | Argentina | 8 | 4 | 1930 |
| =28 | Leonidas | Brazil | 8 | 5 | 1934, 1938 |
| =28 | Oscar Míguez | Uruguay | 8 | 7 | 1950, 1954 |
| =28 | Rivaldo | Brazil | 8 | 14 | 1998, 2002 |
| =28 | Rudi Voller | West Germany, Germany | 8 | 15 | 1986, 1990, 1994 |
| =28 | Diego Maradona | Argentina | 8 | 21 | 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994 |
| =36 | Oldrich Nejedly | Czechoslovakia | 7 | 6 | 1934, 1938 |
| =36 | Lajos Tichy | Hungary | 7 | 8 | 1958, 1962, 1966 |
| =36 | Careca | Brazil | 7 | 9 | 1986, 1990 |
| =36 | Johnny Rep | Netherlands | 7 | 13 | 1974, 1978 |
| =36 | Andrzej Szarmach | Poland | 7 | 13 | 1974, 1978, 1982 |
List of World Cup top goal scorers active players
Here is the list of World Cup top scorers of all time with active players:
| Player | Team(s) | Goals | Matches | World Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 21 | 31 | 2006, (2010), 2014,2018, 2022, 2026 |
| Kylian Mbappé | France | 20 | 19 | 2018, 2022, 2026 |
| Harry Kane | England | 14 | 15 | 2018, 2022, 2026 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 11 | 25 | 2006, 2010, 2014,2018, 2022, 2026 |
| Neymar | Brazil | 9 | 17 | 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 |
| Romelu Lukaku | Belgium | 8 | 16 | 2014, 2018, (2022), 2026 |
| Enner Valencia | Ecuador | 6 | 6 | 2014, 2022, 2026 |
| James Rodríguez | Colombia | 6 | 8 | 2014, (2018), 2026 |
| Ivan Perišić | Croatia | 6 | 15 | 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 |
How many goals has Messi scored in World Cup?
Lionel Messi has scored 21 World Cup goals so far. In his last match vs Egypt, Messi scored the equaliser goal as they won 3-2 vs Egypt in Round of 16 match.
How many goals has Ronaldo scored in World Cup?
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 11 World Cup goals overall.
Most goals in World Cup match
The record for the most goals scored by a single player in a single FIFA World Cup match belongs to Oleg Salenko of Russia.
In the 1994 tournament, Salenko scored five goals to lead his team to a 6–1 victory over Cameroon in a group stage match.
The previous record of four goals in a game was shared by several players, including Ernst Wilimowski and Just Fontaine, before Salenko’s historic five-goal haul.
In terms of overall match goal-scoring, the highest-scoring World Cup match in history is a 1954 quarterfinal clash between Austria and Switzerland, which ended 7–5 for a total of 12 goals.
- FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winners
- UEFA Euro Top Goal Scorers of All Time
- UEFA Europa League Top Goal Scorers of All Time
- Premier League Golden Boot Winners List
- Premier League Top Goal Scorers All Time
- La Liga Golden Boot Winners List
- Top goalscorers in El Classico history List
- Serie A Golden Boot Winners List
- Bundesliga Golden Boot Winners List
See also the FIFA official website and our other top goal scorers lists as they are also full of top goalscorers and stats. Watch & Bet Football Live =>
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