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Find out the ranking of the top goalscorers of the World Cup of all time
The World Cup is the biggest stage where every striker strives to rise and leave an indelible scoring mark in their ancient history.
As the 2026 edition gets under way, excitement is growing as to the identity of the player who can break the records that have been held at the top of the World Cup goalscoring charts for many years.
In the next report from Kooora, we take you on a journey to find out the all-time top goalscorer of the World Cup, the all-time top scorers list and the ranking of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
Who is the best scorer of the World Cup?
Retired German star Miroslav Klose sits on the throne of the best scorers of the World Cup of all time with 16 goals, which he scored in 24 matches for Manshaft. Klose started his goalscoring career at the 2002 World Cup in Turkey and South Korea and continued to perform until the 2014 Brazil Championship, which saw him win the World Cup and break the record of winning the Golden Boot award in 2006.
Before Klose reached this number, the legendary Brazilian striker Ronaldo, nicknamed “The Phenomenon”, was the leader with 15 goals. Ronaldo achieved the feat in 19 games across four different competitions and was awarded the Golden Boot at the 2002 World Cup, scoring eight goals to lead the Seleção to a fifth title, before ceding his historic throne to Klose in Germany’s famous 7-1 thrashing of Brazil in the semi-finals of FIFA World Cup 2011.
Where do Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe rank among the all-time World Cup goalscorers?
Germany’s Gerd Müller is third only with 14 goals scored between 1970 and 1974, a terrible goalscoring record.
Mbappe is fourth with 14 goals after his brace against Senegal, and two players currently share fifth place: Just Fontaine, who holds the record for most goals in one game (13 goals in 1958), and Argentine legend Lionel Messi.
With the presence of Messi and Mbappe in the current version of the 2026 World Cup, the battle is heating up to take the lead from Klose. The list also includes such historical names as Brazilian Pele with 12 goals, and German Jurgen Klinsmann and Hungarian Sandor Kocsis with 11 goals. The ten-goal club also includes a group of giants such as Argentina’s Gabriel Batistuta, England’s Gary Lineker and Germany’s Thomas Muller, who still manages to add to his tally.
The table of the best scorers in the history of the World Cup
| Center: | Player: | The chosen ones | Objectives: | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1: |
Miroslav Klose |
Germany |
16:00 |
24:00 |
|
2: |
Ronaldo |
Brazil |
15:00 |
19:00 |
|
3: |
Gerd Müller |
West Germany |
14:00 |
13:00 |
| 4: | Kylian Mbappé | France | 14:00 | 15:00 |
| =5 |
Just Fontaine |
France |
13:00 |
6:00 |
| =5 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 13:00 | 26:00 |
| 7:00 |
Pellet |
Brazil |
12:00 |
14:00 |
|
=8 |
Sandor Kochis |
Hungary |
11:00 |
5:00 |
|
=8 |
Jurgen Klinsmann |
West Germany |
11:00 |
17:00 |
|
=10 |
Helmut Rahn |
West Germany |
10:00 |
10:00 |
|
=10 |
Jerry Lineker |
England |
10:00 |
12:00 |
|
=10 |
Gabriel Batistuta |
Argentina |
10:00 |
12:00 |
|
=10 |
Tofilo Cubillas |
Peru |
10:00 |
13:00 |
|
=10 |
Thomas Muller |
Germany |
10:00 |
16:00 |
|
=10 |
Gregor Lato |
Poland |
10:00 |
20:00 |
