The GOAT continues to amaze the world as Lionel Messi now reigns supreme at the top of the list of all-time goalscorers at the World Cup.
With his two goal against Austria in Argentina’s group-stage game on June 22, Messi surpassed the long-standing record held by Germany’s Miroslav Klose. It came a week after Messi scored his first career World Cup hat trick in a win over Algeria, while also setting the record as the oldest player (38) to record a hat trick at the tournament — passing Cristiano Ronaldo’s feat from 2022 when he was 33 years old.
But this list could change even more. France’s Kylian Mbappé has 16 goals all time at the World Cup, tied for the second-most ever, and is already adding to his tally this summer. With that being said, here are the players with the most goals in World Cup men’s history. Let’s take a look.
Messi’s five goals at the 2026 World Cup have now given him one yet another record on his résumé. Messi has played in every World Cup since 2006 and scored in all but one (2010). He scored seven goals at the 2022 World Cup. Messi is also Argentina’s all-time leading goalscorer with 122 to his name and additionally holds the record for most World Cup matches played with 28.
(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
Mbappé has scored an outrageous 16 goals in just 16 World Cup matches in his career. As a 19-year-old in 2018, he scored four goals for France, helping it win its first title since 1998, and then he scored eight goals in 2022 — most notably netting the second hat trick in a World Cup final ever against Argentina. At the 2026 tournament, he has four so far.
(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Many consider Ronaldo the greatest striker of all-time, as he scored more than 350 goals in club play and 62 for Brazil. Fifteen of those international goals came in the World Cup, en route to winning the Golden Ball in the 1998 tournament and the Golden Boot in 2002.
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Fontaine holds one of the most incredible stats in World Cup history, as all 13 of his goals came in the 1958 edition of the tournament — the record for most goals scored by a player at a single World Cup. It’s been 68 years since he set that record, and no one has come close to breaking it.
(Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
Klinsmann scored in three straight World Cups from 1990 to 1998, helping Germany lift the trophy in 1990. His 47 goals for Germany overall are tied for the fourth-most in national team history.
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