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Most World Cup Goals All Time: Messi Breaks the Record

Jun 23, 2026

The FIFA World Cup trophy under stadium lights — Lionel Messi leads the all-time men's World Cup top scorers on 18 goals after breaking Miroslav Klose's record 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. On June 22, 2026, in Arlington, it moved again. Lionel Messi scored twice against Austria to push past Klose’s 16 and onto 18, and for the first time the record belongs to someone who can still add to it every few days.

That last part is what makes this leaderboard worth bookmarking right now. We keep it current as the 2026 tournament rolls on, and with Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Harry Kane all still playing, the top of it is genuinely live.

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

Here is the all-time men’s World Cup top-scorer list, current to June 23, 2026:

Rank	Player	Country	Goals	World Cups
1	Lionel Messi	Argentina	18	2006–2026
=2	Miroslav Klose	Germany	16	2002–2014
=2	Kylian Mbappé	France	16	2018–2026
4	Ronaldo	Brazil	15	1998–2006
5	Gerd Müller	West Germany	14	1970–1974
6	Just Fontaine	France	13	1958
7	Pelé	Brazil	12	1958–1970
=8	Sándor Kocsis	Hungary	11	1954
=8	Jürgen Klinsmann	Germany	11	1990–1998
=10	Gabriel Batistuta	Argentina	10	1994–2002
=10	Gary Lineker	England	10	1986–1990
=10	Thomas Müller	Germany	10	2010–2022
=10	Harry Kane	England	10	2018–2026

Players in bold are 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 10th-to-16th.

How did Messi break the all-time record?

In two bursts, three days apart. He came to North America on 13 World Cup goals, already an Argentina record. The hat-trick against Algeria on opening night took him to 16 and level with Klose. Then the brace against Austria — one before half-time, one in stoppage time — carried him to 17 and 18, and clear.

The setting makes it stranger still. This is Messi’s sixth World Cup, a number no other outfield player has reached, and at 38 he’s spent it rewriting the scoring charts rather than taking a lap of honour. The 18 also edges him past Marta’s 17, which means he now leads the scoring lists of both the men’s and women’s tournaments.

Klose’s 16 had stood since 2014 and felt like furniture. What’s odd isn’t just that it fell — it’s that it fell to someone who might still be adding to the total next week. The record has gone from a fixed monument to a number nobody can quite pin down.

Where do Klose, Ronaldo and the classic scorers rank?

The names behind Messi 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 the trophy.

Further back sit the legends. Gerd Müller’s 14 came from only two tournaments in the 1970s, a rate nobody has touched since. 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 and Klinsmann, 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, is on 8 and nowhere near this table — proof that a glittering career and a heavy World Cup tally are not the same thing.

Can Mbappé or anyone catch Messi?

This is the part that should keep you watching. Kylian Mbappé arrived on 12 and has already banged in four — a brace against Senegal, then a double in France’s win over Iraq — to reach 16. That’s level with Klose and just two short of Messi, with the knockout rounds still to come.

Do the maths and it gets interesting. Mbappé is 27, France can plausibly play five or six more matches, and he’s scoring at two a game right now. The record Messi has owned for all of a day could change hands again before the final’s over. Nobody else is in the conversation — Harry Kane joined the 10 club with his brace against Croatia, the best of the rest, but he’s a long way back.

So the top of this list isn’t settled, it’s in play. Messi holds it tonight, Mbappé is one good run from snatching it, and for the first time in years the all-time record is something this tournament could decide rather than simply honour.

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: Messi’s five this tournament and Mbappé’s four are both excellent, and both well under half of what Fontaine managed in fewer games. Messi may have just claimed the all-time aggregate crown, but Fontaine’s single-summer mark looks set to outlive every name above it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who has scored the most goals in World Cup history?

Lionel Messi, with 18 career World Cup goals. He broke Miroslav Klose's all-time men's record of 16 with a brace against Austria on June 22, 2026, having equalled it days earlier with a hat-trick against Algeria.

How many World Cup goals does Messi have?

Eighteen, an outright men's all-time record. Messi went into the 2026 World Cup on 13 and has added five so far — three against Algeria and two against Austria — across his record sixth tournament.

Can Mbappé break Messi's World Cup goals record?

Possibly. Kylian Mbappé is on 16 career World Cup goals after a fast start to 2026, two behind Messi. At 27, with France capable of a deep run, he is the most realistic threat to the record Messi has just set.

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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Published: Jun 23, 2026