Who Has Scored the Most World Cup Goals?

Kylian Mbappe or Lionel Messi could become the leading World Cup goal-scorer in history this summer. They're both chasing a German legend.

by Chris Licata

Mar 26, 2026

Kylian Mbappe of France celebrates after scoring the team's third goal walking past Lionel Messi of Argentina during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match.

Buda Mendes/Getty Images

The 2026 World Cup will have more matches than previous World Cups, which means more goals will likely arrive in this summer's tournament.

In previous editions of the World Cup, the maximum number of matches a team can play in the tournament is seven games, whether that's the third-place match or the World Cup Final.

To reach the third-place match or the World Cup Final this summer, the maximum number of matches a team can play is eight.

Elite players from different national teams are expected to score goals this summer, and two key players who could make history this summer are France's Kylian Mbappe and Argentina's Lionel Messi.

Mbappe was the top goal scorer of the 2022 tournament with eight goals, while Messi was close behind with seven.

However, the player with the Most World Cup goals is former German striker Miroslav Klose, who scored a total of 16 goals for Germany across four World Cups.

Klose broke the record in the 2014 World Cup, overtaking former Brazilian striker Ronaldo Nazario, who previously held the record with 15 World Cup goals.

Germany's Miroslav Klose celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil semifinal match against Brazil.
Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Klose's first World Cup was in the 2002 World Cup, where he scored five goals. In the 2006 World Cup, Klose scored five goals, the 2010 World Cup saw him score four, and in the 2014 World Cup, he scored two goals.

Klose broke the record in the 2014 World Cup semifinal against Brazil, where he scored Germany's second goal in their historic 7-1 win over the Brazilian national team.

MORE: Which Country Won the First World Cup?

World Cup All-Time Leading Scorers

With Klose topping the World Cup all-time leading scorers, Ronaldo Nazario is second with 15 goals. Ronaldo scored in three World Cups, but he was a part of four World Cups with Brazil.

In the 1994 World Cup, Brazil won the World Cup, but a young Ronaldo did not score. In the 1998 World Cup, he scored four goals. In the 2002 World Cup, when Brazil won the tournament again, Ronaldo scored 8 goals, and in the 2006 World Cup, he scored 3 goals.

Gerd Müller is third in the ranking of the World Cup all-time leading scorers with 14 goals. Müller played in two World Cups, scoring 10 goals in the 1970 World Cup and four in the 1974 World Cup.

Just Fontaine, a former French striker, scored 13 goals in only one World Cup, the 1958 World Cup. Fontaine ranks fourth, along with Messi, who also has 13 World Cup goals. Messi played five World Cups. Messi scored one in 2006, zero in 2010, four in 2014, one in 2018, and seven in 2022.

Mbappe has only played two World Cups, 2018 and 2022, but is among the elite players in World Cup all-time leading scorers. Mbappe scored four goals in 2018, and then he scored eight goals in the previous World Cup four years ago.

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