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Most World Cup Goals All Time: Mbappé Passes Messi

The FIFA World Cup trophy under stadium lights — Kylian Mbappé leads the all-time men's World Cup top scorers on 22 goals after passing Lionel Messi at the 2026 tournament

The record for most goals in men’s World Cup history has been one of football’s slow-moving heirlooms — passed from Gerd Müller to Ronaldo to Miroslav Klose, each one settling in for a decade or more before the next forward came along. In 2026 it moved twice in a single month. Lionel Messi broke Klose’s 16 in June to become the outright leader on 21; then, in the third-place playoff, Kylian Mbappé’s brace carried him to 22 and past Messi. The heirloom changed hands again before the champagne was dry.

That is what made this leaderboard worth bookmarking all summer. It is settled now the tournament is over — but the top of it looks nothing like it did a month ago, and the new man in front is only 27.

Who has scored the most World Cup goals of all time?

Here is the all-time men’s World Cup top-scorer list, final after the 2026 tournament:

RankPlayerCountryGoalsWorld Cups
1Kylian MbappéFrance222018–2026
2Lionel MessiArgentina212006–2026
3Miroslav KloseGermany162002–2014
4RonaldoBrazil151998–2006
=5Gerd MüllerWest Germany141970–1974
=5Harry KaneEngland142018–2026
7Just FontaineFrance131958
8PeléBrazil121958–1970
=9Sándor KocsisHungary111954
=9Jürgen KlinsmannGermany111990–1998
=9Cristiano RonaldoPortugal112006–2026
=12Gabriel BatistutaArgentina101994–2002
=12Gary LinekerEngland101986–1990
=12Thomas MüllerGermany102010–2022

Players in bold were still playing at the 2026 World Cup. That logjam on 10 is even bigger than it looks — Teófilo Cubillas, Grzegorz Lato and Helmut Rahn are all in there too — and no two sources order it the same way, so treat it as a group rather than a strict list from 11th down.

How did Mbappé take the all-time record?

By finishing a tournament nobody else could match. Mbappé came to North America on 12 World Cup goals and scored 10 more across 2026 — a brace against Senegal, a double in France’s win over Iraq, and on through the knockouts to a brace in the third-place playoff against England. Those last two goals took him to 22 and past Messi, sealing a second straight Golden Boot in the same afternoon — the first time any player has won the award in back-to-back tournaments.

The timing was cruel on Messi. He had spent the group stage rewriting the charts — a hat-trick against Algeria and a brace against Austria to break Klose’s 16 — and pushed on to 21 in his record sixth World Cup. For a few weeks the record was his. But France’s tournament ran a game longer than Messi’s goals did, and at 27 Mbappé had the youth, and the matches, to snatch it back.

Where do Klose, Ronaldo and the classic scorers rank?

The names behind the two leaders read like a history of the centre-forward. Klose got to 16 the patient way, four or five goals a tournament across four of them, never one explosive summer. Ronaldo — the Brazilian one — hit 15 between 1998 and 2006, the signature moment his two goals in the 2002 final that won Brazil one of their five titles.

Further back sit the legends. Gerd Müller’s 14 came from only two tournaments in the 1970s, a rate nobody has touched since — though Harry Kane drew level with him in 2026, reaching 14 across three World Cups. Just Fontaine got all 13 of his in 1958. Pelé’s 12 spanned four World Cups, the first won at 17 in 1958, the last in 1970. Then the 11s of Kocsis, Klinsmann and Cristiano Ronaldo, and that crowded tie on 10.

One clarification worth making, because it trips people up: the Ronaldo on 15 is the Brazilian. Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal, in his own record-equalling sixth World Cup, added three in 2026 to reach 11 — enough to tie ninth with Kocsis and Klinsmann, but a long way short of the Brazilian, and proof that a glittering career and a heavy World Cup tally are not the same thing.

Will Mbappé’s record stand, or can anyone catch him?

For now it looks safe, and it may run a long way clear. At 27, Mbappé has plausibly two or three more World Cups in him, and he is scoring at a rate — 22 in three tournaments — that no active player comes close to. Harry Kane is the nearest current name on 14, but eight behind and two years older, and nobody else on the list is still playing.

The likelier story is Mbappé extending it. Messi took the record from Klose and held it for a month; Mbappé took it from Messi and, barring injury, should have years to push it out of reach. The number to watch is not who catches him but how high he goes — 25, 30, or somewhere the next generation will spend a decade chasing, just as Mbappé chased Klose and Messi.

Does Just Fontaine still hold the single-tournament record?

He does, and it might be the one record on this page nobody ever touches. Fontaine scored 13 times at the 1958 World Cup — in six matches. Kocsis got 11 in 1954, Müller 10 in 1970, and that’s as close as anyone has come in nearly 70 years. Tighter defences and squad rotation have made a haul like that almost a fantasy.

For scale: Mbappé’s 10 this tournament was the best of 2026 and won the Golden Boot, yet it still fell three short of what Fontaine managed in a single summer nearly seven decades ago. Mbappé may now own the all-time aggregate crown, but Fontaine’s single-tournament mark looks set to outlive every name above it.

This scoring list is one thread of a much bigger record book. For the rest — most titles, most appearances, the biggest wins and the oldest and youngest scorers — see our guide to the all-time World Cup records.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who has scored the most goals in World Cup history?

Kylian Mbappé, with 22 career World Cup goals. He passed Lionel Messi's mark of 21 with a brace in the 2026 third-place playoff against England, becoming the all-time men's leading scorer at 27.

How many World Cup goals does Mbappé have?

Twenty-two, an outright men's all-time record. Mbappé went into 2026 on 12 and added 10 across the tournament to win the Golden Boot and overtake Messi's 21. At 27, he could extend the record for years.

How many World Cup goals does Messi have?

Twenty-one. Messi broke Klose's old record of 16 in mid-2026 and pushed on to 21, but Mbappé passed him late in the tournament. Messi ended his sixth and final World Cup second on the all-time list.

What is the most goals scored in a single World Cup?

Thirteen, by Just Fontaine of France at the 1958 World Cup — in only six matches. The single-tournament record has stood since then and remains untouched, with Sándor Kocsis (11 in 1954) the closest anyone has come.

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