All-time Top Goalscorers in the history of the World Cup

Football trophies may be forgotten over time, great teams come and go, but goals remain in history forever. That's why the top scorers of the World Cup hold a special place among football legends. Some scored over the course of four World Cups, others had a tournament of their life in just a few weeks, but they all have one thing in common – they found the back of the net more often than the rest.

This ranking includes footballers who have scored the most goals in World Cup tournaments and set records that seemed unattainable. Who is the best World Cup scorer – we tell in our material.

Top World Cup Scorers

Interesting facts about the top World Cup scorers

• Miroslav Klose is the top scorer in World Cup history with 16 goals, but he has never won the Golden Ball of the tournament. Klose scored his record 16th goal against Brazil in the semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup, which Germany won 7:1.
• Just Fontaine scored 13 goals – all in one World Cup. His achievement at the 1958 World Cup has been a tournament record for almost 70 years.
• All five of Klose's goals at the 2002 World Cup were scored with his head. This is a World Cup record for the number of headed goals in one tournament.
• At the 2002 World Cup, Ronaldo scored eight goals. This is the best result in one tournament among players of the 21st century.
• Lionel Messi took 16 years to score his 13 World Cup goals. The Argentine scored his first goal at the 2006 World Cup, and his last at the 2022 tournament.
• Kylian Mbappe is already among the top World Cup scorers, although he is not yet 30 years old. In terms of average scoring, ahead of the 2026 World Cup, the Frenchman is closest to Klose's record among active players.
• Germany is the country with the most players among the top World Cup scorers. The top of the ranking includes Klose, Gerd Müller, Klinsmann, Thomas Müller, and Helmut Rahn.
• Just Fontaine's record is considered more difficult to break than Klose's record. Many analysts are confident that 16 career goals can be surpassed, but scoring 13 goals in one World Cup in modern football is almost impossible.

World Cup top scorer records

• The most goalsThroughout the history of the World Cup – Miroslav Klose (16)
• Most goals in a single World Cup – Just Fontaine (13)
• Best goals per match ratio among top scorers – Sandor Kocsis (2.2 goals)
• Most goals among active players – Lionel Messi (13) and Kylian Mbappe (12)
• Youngest goal scorer in a World Cup – Pele (17 years and 239 days)
• Oldest goal scorer in a World Cup – Roger Milla (42 years and 39 days)
• Most goals in World Cup finals – Kylian Mbappe (4)
• Most World Cups with goals scored – Cristiano Ronaldo (5)
• Fastest goal in World Cup history – Hakan Şükür (11 seconds)

Who can break Klose's record?

Before the World Cup, the main candidates to break the record are Lionel Messi, who needs to score four goals, and Kylian Mbappe – he needs to score five times. And while this tournament will be the last for the Argentine, the Frenchman will likely have a chance to break the record in 2030 and possibly in 2034.

Among other participants of the 2026 World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and Harry Kane, who have scored 8 goals in the World Cups, are close to the record. You can find Scores24's forecast for the top scorer of the 2026 World Cup and the odds for top footballers at the link.

Predictions for all matches of the 2026 World Cup are available in the tournament section. Read the full analysis from our authors and leave your reactions – whether you agree or disagree with the editorial opinion.