Lionel Messi has become the FIFA World Cup's all-time leading scorer, surpassing former Germany striker Miroslav Klose after a prolific start to the 2026 tournament.
The Argentina captain entered the FIFA World Cup 2026 trailing Klose's long-standing record of 16 goals but quickly rewrote history. Messi scored his first-ever World Cup hat-trick in Argentina's opening match against Algeria before adding two goals against Austria and another in the group-stage victory over Jordan. His tally now stands at 19 World Cup goals, the highest in tournament history.
FIFA World Cup All-Time Leading Scorers
| Rank | Player | Country | Goals | World Cups | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 19 | 6 | 29 |
| 2 | Kylian Mbappé | France | 16 | 3 | 17 |
| 3 | Miroslav Klose | Germany | 16 | 4 | 24 |
| 4 | Ronaldo | Brazil | 15 | 4 | 19 |
| 5 | Gerd Müller | West Germany | 14 | 2 | 13 |
| 6 | Just Fontaine | France | 13 | 1 | 6 |
| 7 | Pelé | Brazil | 12 | 4 | 14 |
| 8 | Harry Kane | England | 11 | 3 | 14 |
| 9 | Jürgen Klinsmann | Germany | 11 | 3 | 17 |
| 10 | Sándor Kocsis | Hungary | 11 | 1 | 5 |
| 11 | Gabriel Batistuta | Argentina | 10 | 3 | 12 |
| 12 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 10 | 6 | 25 |
| 13 | Teófilo Cubillas | Peru | 10 | 3 | 13 |
| 14 | Grzegorz Lato | Poland | 10 | 3 | 20 |
| 15 | Gary Lineker | England | 10 | 2 | 12 |
| 16 | Thomas Müller | Germany | 10 | 4 | 19 |
| 17 | Helmut Rahn | West Germany | 10 | 2 | 10 |
| 18 | Ademir | Brazil | 9 | 1 | 6 |
| 19 | Roberto Baggio | Italy | 9 | 3 | 16 |
| 20 | Eusébio | Portugal | 9 | 1 | 6 |
| 21 | Jairzinho | Brazil | 9 | 3 | 16 |
| 22 | Paolo Rossi | Italy | 9 | 2 | 14 |
| 23 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | West Germany | 9 | 3 | 19 |
| 24 | Uwe Seeler | West Germany | 9 | 4 | 21 |
| 25 | Vavá | Brazil | 9 | 2 | 10 |
| 26 | Christian Vieri | Italy | 9 | 2 | 9 |
| 27 | David Villa | Spain | 9 | 3 | 12 |
Messi's latest achievement adds another milestone to an already remarkable international career. Having appeared in six World Cups between 2006 and 2026, the Argentine icon has consistently delivered on football's biggest stage, helping his country win the 2022 FIFA World Cup and continuing to perform at an elite level in 2026.
While Messi now leads the all-time scoring chart, France forward Kylian Mbappé is rapidly closing the gap. The 27-year-old has scored four goals in his first two matches of the 2026 World Cup, including consecutive braces against Senegal and Iraq. Those performances have lifted his career World Cup total to 16 goals, tying Klose for second place despite playing only 17 World Cup matches across three tournaments.
Mbappé's remarkable scoring rate makes him one of the most dangerous attackers in World Cup history. With several matches still to play in the 2026 tournament, he has a realistic chance of challenging Messi's newly established record.
Former Brazil striker Ronaldo Nazário, widely regarded as one of football's greatest finishers, ranks fourth on the all-time list with 15 World Cup goals. Ronaldo won the Golden Boot in 2002 after scoring eight times and remains Brazil's highest scorer in World Cup history.
Germany legend Gerd Müller completes the top five with 14 goals in just 13 World Cup appearances. His extraordinary strike rate remains one of the tournament's most impressive records.
Several other football legends feature among the competition's greatest scorers, including France's Just Fontaine, whose 13 goals all came during the 1958 tournament—a record for the most goals scored in a single FIFA World Cup. Brazil icons Pelé and Jairzinho, England captain Harry Kane, Portugal stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Eusébio, Argentina's Gabriel Batistuta, Spain's David Villa, Italy's Roberto Baggio and Paolo Rossi, and Germany's Thomas Müller are also among the tournament's most prolific goalscorers.
With the FIFA World Cup 2026 still underway, the all-time rankings could continue to change. Messi has already set a new benchmark, while Mbappé and several active players remain in contention to add to their totals before the tournament concludes.
