Lionel Messi Becomes Top Scorer of All Time at World Cup, Kylian Mbappé Eyes
June 24, 2026 · Global
Lionel Messi is now the all-time top scorer at the World Cup, beating his previous record in the 2026 tournament.
With the 2026 World Cup underway, Argentina's Lionel Messi has finally broken the record for all-time top scorer in the World Cup. Known as one of the greatest of all time, Messi has now scored more goals than any other player in World Cup history. He scored the 17th and 18th goals as Argentina beat Austria 2–0. Now, just waiting to see how many more goals he will add in this tournament. Will players like Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane or Cristiano Ronaldo also climb this list during this World Cup?
Here are the players with the most goals in the history of this FIFA global tournament. There are seven players with 10 goals at the World Cup, including England's Harry Kane, who reached that figure with two goals in England's first win against Croatia last Wednesday.
Germany's JĂĽrgen Klinsmann finished his World Cup career with 11 goals. Klinsmann may be better known now as the former US and Germany coach, but in his time, he was a goal-scoring threat. He scored 11 goals in three World Cups, including in 1990 when Germany won the tournament.
Hungary's Sandor Kocsis scored all 11 of his World Cup goals in 1954. Kocsis has a national team record with seven hat-tricks for Hungary and scored all 11 of his goals in the 1954 tournament. He scored two hat-tricks in that World Cup, but Hungary lost the final against West Germany.
Brazilian legend Pelé, who dodged Italian defender Tarcisio Burgnich during the World Cup final on June 21, 1970 in Mexico City, scored his team's opening goal as Brazil beat Italy 4-1 to claim their third title after 1958 and 1962. Considered by many to be the greatest, Pelé needs no further introduction. He made his debut at the 1958 World Cup and scored six goals at the age of 17 as Brazil won the tournament. He only played in four matches in the next two World Cups, but Brazil won again in 1962. To finish his career, he led his country to the title at the 1970 World Cup with a total of 12 goals.
French striker Just Fontaine stands alone in history with the most goals in a single World Cup. He scored 13 goals in six games at Sweden 1958 - a record for a single World Cup. Fontaine has one hat-trick, two braces, one decisive goal, one goal against champions Brazil, and one four-goal performance in the third-place playoff game.
Gerd MĂĽller is another player whose efficiency has stood the test of time. He only played in two World Cups (1970 and 1974), but managed to score 10 goals to win the Golden Boot in the first and added four more goals in his second and final tournament, which West Germany won.
Another Brazilian legend, Ronaldo, was part of the 1994 World Cup winning team but did not play. However, in the next three tournaments, Ronaldo scored four goals in 1998, eight goals in 2002 as Brazil won it all, and added a further three goals in his last World Cup in 2006.
Kylian Mbappé has quickly risen up this list and is expected to catch Lionel Messi at the top. He is only 27 years old and has scored 14 goals in 15 World Cup matches. He scored four goals on his debut at the 2018 World Cup as France won it all, eight goals in 2022 when France lost to Argentina in the final, and only started his campaign in 2026 with a brace against Senegal.
A name that is often mentioned when Messi and Mbappé are chasing history is Miroslav Klose, who is known as an unrelenting goalscorer who never wastes an opportunity in front of goal. The striker scored five goals at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, added four goals in 2010, and capped his international career with a brace at the 2014 World Cup as Germany lifted the trophy.
Argentina's Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick in his country's opener and is now first in World Cup goals all-time. The Argentine adds to his legacy with every strike through the opposition's defence. He blasted Algeria for his first World Cup hat-trick in the team's opener and broke the record on Monday with a classic goal. Then he added a second goal late in the game as Argentina beat Austria 2-0. This is Messi's sixth World Cup, and he will be hoping to continue his good form after scoring seven goals in the 2022 tournament and leading Argentina to the title.