FIFA World Cup All-time Goalscorers
Image Credit: 磊 周
On June 16, 2026, Argentina opened its 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a 3-0 victory against Algeria. Argentina star forward Lionel Messi scored all three goals, which raised his number of World Cup goals from 13 to 16, equalizing the all-time scoring record held by German forward Miroslav Klose. Five days later, the Inter Miami forward recorded a brace against Austria, becoming the tournament’s all-time leading scorer with 18 goals. The 39-year-old added two more goals across Argentina’s final group-stage match against Algeria (a 3-1 victory) and its round of 16 match against Cape Verde (a 3-2 victory after extra-time).
Elsewhere in the tournament, French forward Kylian Mbappé has also added to his World Cup scoring tally. Competing in his third tournament, the Frenchman scored two goals in each of France’s first two group-stage matches — a 3-1 victory against Senegal and a 3-0 victory against Iraq — bringing his total to 16 goals. On June 30, the Real Madrid forward netted another brace in France’s round-of-32 victory against Sweden (3-0), bringing his tally to 18 goals. Then, on July 4, Mbappé recorded his 19th World Cup goal in France’s 1-0 victory against Paraguay in the round of 16.
With Messi and Mbappé both at seven goals in this tournament — so far — could either of them break the single-tournament scoring record? That record — 13 goals — is held by the late French forward Juste Fontaine, who scored all of them across six matches at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden.
Ultimately, the 2026 World Cup will be remembered for not one, but two players breaking the long-standing scoring record. Other active contenders — all of whom are forwards — near the top of the all-time scoring record include Harry Kane, with 14 World Cup goals for England, and Cristiano Ronaldo, with 11 for Portugal. German forward Thomas Müller, who has scored 10 World Cup goals, is another active player in this list; however, the Vancouver Whitecaps forward retired from international football after the 2024 UEFA European Championship.
The figure below shows the top 17 all-time goalscorers in FIFA World Cup history (1930–2026). Each scorer has recorded at least 10 World Cup goals.
