The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the 23rd edition of the tournament since it was established over 96 years ago. Although the competition is still ongoing, several players have already rewritten football history. For instance, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to appear and score in six different FIFA World Cup tournaments. Furthermore, Lionel Messi overtook Miroslav Klose to become the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history. Before the 2026 tournament began, Klose led the all-time scoring chart with 16 goals. However, Messi has now moved clear at the top with 18 goals, while Kylian Mbappé has drawn level with Klose on 16. In this post, we’ll take a detailed look at the top 10 highest goal scorers in FIFA World Cup history so far.
1. Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Total Goals: 18
World Cups: Six
Matches played: 28
The first player on the rankings of the top 10 best scorers in the Football World Cup is Lionel Messi. The eight-time winner of the Ballon d’Or started his World Cup career in 2006, where he only netted one goal. Four years later (in 2010), he also attended the world event but couldn’t register a goal.
Messi scored 4 goals in 2014 against Bosnia and Herzegovina (1), Iran (1), and Nigeria (2). During the 2018 tournament, he scored just one goal against Nigeria. His best campaign happened in 2022, where he scored a total of 7 goals. Messi’s incredible performance helped Argentina to win the World Cup title that year.
The 2026 World Cup is still ongoing but so far, Messi has a total of 5 goals in just two matches. With 18 goals, Messi is now the all-time leading scorer in FIFA World Cup history.
2. Kylian Mbappé (France)
Goals: 16
World Cups: Three
Matches played: 16
Occupying the second spot on the list of the top 10 best scorers in the Football World Cup so far is Mbappé. While still in the prime of his career, Mbappé continues to score amazing goals in this ongoing tournament.
In 2018, he won the tournament and scored 4 goals. In 2022, he won the tournament’s Golden Boot by scoring 8 goals. Currently, Mbappé has only played two group stage matches so far. With a brace in each match, he has now drawn level with Klose.
3. Miroslav Klose (Germany)
Goals: 16
World Cups: Four
Matches played: 24
Klose started his World Cup career in 2002, scoring 5 goals. Over time, he has built his reputation as one of the best scoring strikers in the World Cup. He scored 5 goals in 2006, 4 goals in 2010, and 2 goals in 2014. He scored in all the World Cups he participated in and also won the tournament with Germany in 2014.
4. Ronaldo Nazário (Brazil)
Goals: 15
World Cups: Four
Matches played: 19
You can’t talk of the greatest No. 9s of all time without mentioning Ronaldo. He started his World Cup career in 1994, although he couldn’t register a goal that year. He scored four goals in 1998, eight goals in 2002, and three goals in 2006. His 8 goals in 2002 helped Brazil to secure their 5th World Cup title.
5. Gerd Müller (West Germany)
Goals: 14
World Cups: Two
Matches played: 13
Müller is, no doubt, one of the greatest scorers in the tournament. He only participated in two tournaments but was able to register a total of 14 goals in 13 matches. In his first-ever World Cup (in 1970), Müller scored a total of 10 goals. In the following tournament in 1974, he scored 4 goals and also helped West Germany to win the title.
6. Just Fontaine (France)
Goals: 13
World Cups: One
Matches played: 6
Fontaine remains the only player in the top 10 to achieve his tally from a single World Cup. He scored a total of 13 goals in 1958. So far, this is the highest goal tally ever recorded by a player in one World Cup edition.
7. Pelé (Brazil)
Goals: 12
World Cups: Four
Matches played: 14
Pele didn’t just participate and score in four World Cups. In addition, his 12 goals helped him to win three of the tournaments with Brazil in 1958, 1962, and 1970.
8. Jürgen Klinsmann (Germany)
Goals: 11
World Cups: Three
Matches played: 17
With a total of 11 goals in three World Cups, Klinsmann currently retains this spot on the list of the top 10 all-time best scorers in the Football World Cup. He delivered consistently for Germany across the three tournaments, scoring 3 goals, 5 goals, and 3 goals in 1990, 1994, and 1998, respectively.
9. Sandor Kocsis (Hungary)
Goals: 11
World Cups: One
Matches played: 5
Kocsis was the highest goal scorer in 1954, the only World Cup tournament he participated in with Hungary. In just 5 appearances, he scored a total of 11 goals.
10. C. Ronaldo, Gabriel Batistuta, and Others
Goals: 10
With a brace against Uzbekistan in the ongoing World Cup edition, Cristiano Ronaldo now has a total of 10 goals. With these goals, the all-time highest goal scorer in football history remains the only player to score in 6 different World Cup editions.
Other players in this spot on the list of the top 10 best scorers in the Football World Cup include:
- Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina)
- Teofilo Cubillas (Peru)
- Harry Kane (England)
- Grzegorz Lato (Poland)
- Gary Lineker (England)
- Thomas Müller (Germany)
- Helmut Rahn (West Germany)
With the 2026 World Cup still ongoing, we’ll continue to update this post accordingly as more players enter the list.
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