​The Sporting News originally published most goals in World Cup history, highlighting where Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and other stars rank among FIFA’s all-time top scorers. The Sporting News is listed as a preferred source with a prompt to click here. The 2026 World Cup edition has begun, and the globe’s elite are back on the field chasing the trophy once more. Throughout World Cup history, a handful of players have stood out as the tournament’s leading scorers. Active stars Mbappe and Messi remain in the top ten on the all-time list as the 2026 tournament unfolds. It’s worth examining how Mbappe and Messi compare across the event’s history to determine who has more World Cup goals—France’s prodigy or the Little Boy From Rosario.
Here is a rolling list of the players who have found the back of the net more times than any others in World Cup play, with their goals and appearances across editions.
Rank Player Country Goals Matches Tournaments (WC wins in bold)
1 Lionel Messi* Argentina 20 30 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026
2 Kylian Mbappe* France 20 20 2018, 2022, 2026
3 Miroslav Klose Germany 16 24 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014
4 Ronaldo Brazil 15 19 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018
5 Gerd Muller West Germany 14 13 1970, 1974, 1978
6 Just Fontaine France 13 6 1958
= Harry Kane* England 13 15 2018, 2022
8 Pele Brazil 12 14 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970
= Sandor Kocsis Hungary 11 5 1954
= Jurgen Klinsmann West Germany/Germany 11 7 1990, 1994, 1998
12 Cristiano Ronaldo* Portugal 11 6 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026
12 Helmut Rahn West Germany 10 10 1954, 1958
= Gary Lineker England 10 12 1986, 1990
= Gabriel Batistuta Argentina 10 12 1994, 1998, 2002
= Teofilo Cubillas Peru 10 13 1970, 1978, 1982
= Thomas Muller Germany 10 19 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022
= Grzegorz Lato Poland 10 20 1974, 1978, 1982
Notes:
– An asterisk marks an active player; bold year indicates a World Cup title won.
– The standings reflect goals scored across all World Cup appearances to date.
As the 2026 World Cup approached, Messi had 13 goals across five World Cup campaigns. He finally secured the World Cup trophy with Argentina in 2022, cementing his place in soccer history. In the 2022 final against France, Messi added two goals, bringing his 2022 total to seven. During Argentina’s opening group-stage match in the 2026 World Cup, Messi accomplished a remarkable hat trick—netting three goals against Algeria’s Atlas Lions, marking his first World Cup hat trick and briefly tying him with Miroslav Klose for the all-time lead in World Cup scoring. A few days later, he delivered another vintage finish in Argentina’s second group-stage match, further extending the record and keeping the race for the World Cup scoring crown highly competitive.
For better search optimization, this discussion highlights the legacy of World Cup scorers and the ongoing battle between Messi and Mbappe for the top spot in World Cup history.