Written by Megan Taylor, sports reporter covering international sports since 2020
World Cup top scorers will be back in focus at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, where Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane are set to chase new marks on football’s biggest stage.
Miroslav Klose still leads the all-time FIFA World Cup scoring list with 16 goals for Germany across four tournaments, but Messi and Mbappe both enter 2026 with a real chance to move higher.
The latest tournament build-up follows USMNT World Cup 2026 Test Shows How Far American Soccer Has Come, as fans prepare for another month of global football drama. Official tournament news and records can be followed through the FIFA website.
Klose Still Sets the Standard
Klose scored his 16 World Cup goals across the 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 tournaments.
His final World Cup goal came in Germany’s famous 7-1 semifinal win over Brazil in 2014, before Germany went on to lift the trophy.
Brazil legend Ronaldo sits second with 15 goals, helped by his two-goal performance against Germany in the 2002 final.
Gerd Muller remains third with 14 goals for West Germany, while Just Fontaine and Messi are level on 13.
Messi and Mbappe Eye Klose Record
Fontaine’s 13 goals all came at the 1958 FIFA World Cup, a single-tournament record that still looks safe despite the expanded format in 2026.
Messi needed five tournaments to reach 13 goals, but his 2022 triumph with Argentina gave his World Cup story its defining chapter.
Mbappe is already level with Pele on 12 goals after only two World Cup appearances.
The France captain’s hat-trick in the 2022 final against Argentina showed why he could become the player most likely to pass Klose.
Ronaldo, Kane and Neymar Still Chasing
Cristiano Ronaldo has eight World Cup goals despite being the all-time leading scorer in men’s international football with 143 goals heading into the 2026 tournament.
Ronaldo is level on World Cup goals with Diego Maradona, Harry Kane and Neymar.
Portugal, England and Brazil will all hope their star forwards can make deep runs in North America, where one hot scoring streak could quickly change the all-time list.