Top 10 Goalscorers in World Cup History [Ranked]

Since its formation in 1930, the World Cup has quickly become the most-watched sporting tournament across the globe, with five billion viewers , eclipsing the Tour de France. It captures the attention of not just football fans but patriotic people who get behind their nation in the hope of achieving the extraordinary.

The 2026 edition is being co-hosted by the United States of America, Mexico and Canada and already looks to be a month of drama-filled action.

As we begin to enjoy the tournament, GIVEMESPORT has taken a look at the top 10 World Cup goalscorers of all time.

10 Jurgen Klinsmann - 11 goals

Jurgen Klinsmann appeared at three World Cups for West Germany and Germany. During that time, the prolific forward racked up 11 goals and won the competition in 1990 under the stewardship of Franz Beckenbauer. Klinsmann was the joint second top scorer at the 1994 edition, netting five goals in as many appearances, finishing one behind the joint Golden Boot winners Oleg Salenko of Russia, and Hristo Stoichkov of Bulgaria.

The German forward retired in 2004 and has enjoyed a career on the touchline post his playing career. Klinsmann is the current manager of South Korea and is under contract until July 2026.

Jurgen Klinsmann's World Cup stats

1990

1994

1998

9 Sandor Kocsis - 11 goals

Sandor Kocsis only played five World Cup games but remarkably netted 11 goals in that time, placing him ninth in the all-time top goal-scoring charts. The Hungary centre-forward played at the 1954 edition and netted a flurry of goals en route to the final, where his side would eventually fall to a 3-2 defeat against West Germany. Koscis scored four goals in an 8-3 victory against West Germany during the group stages and that came after a hat-trick in the opening game in a 9-0 win over South Korea.

The 68-cap international played for Barcelona in his club career and was known as 'Golden Head' for his heading ability. Kocsis scored 164 goals across 240 games for the Catalan giants and his tremendous contributions to the club were recognised with a tribute match against Hamburg.

Sandor Kocsis' World Cup stats

1954

8 Pele - 12 goals

Pele is a Brazillian icon and is widely considered one of the greatest players in football history. The 92-cap international represented Selecao Canarinha at four World Cups and triumphed in three of those, scoring 12 goals in the process. Pele first made his first outing in the competition in 1958, aged just 17 at the time and became the youngest-ever scorer in the tournament's history when he scored in a quarter-final win against Wales.

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The footballing great played at his final World Cup in 1970 and once again starred for Brazil, scoring four goals whilst turning provider on six occasions to win his third title across a 12-year spell.

Pele's World Cup stats

1958

1962

1966

1970

7 Harry Kane - 13 goals

England's all-time leading goalscorer Harry Kane won the World Cup Golden Boot award at the 2018 tournament after scoring six goals for the Three Lions and he entered the history books on his third campaign at that stage when he overtook the likes of Gary Lineker, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gabriel Batistuta to enter the top 10 goalscorers list.

A legend for Tottenham and Bayern Munich, Kane persistently demonstrated his knack for goals throughout his career, with a fearsome ability to find the back of the net from almost any position.

Harry Kane's World Cup stats

2018

2022

2026

6 Just Fontaine - 13 goals

Just Fontaine appeared at one World Cup, the 1958 edition, and scored a colossal 13 goals in just six appearances. The French centre-forward holds the record for the most goals scored in a World Cup by a player. Fontaine netted a hat-trick in the opening game during a 7-3 win against Paraguay and scored four in a 6-3 victory over Germany in the third place play-off.

The prolific striker enjoyed a successful career at club level, too, scoring 145 goals in 152 outings for Reims. Fontaine also had an exceptional goal-scoring record at Nice. After his playing career, he worked as a manager for France, Morocco, Paris Saint-Germain and Toulouse.

Just Fontaine's World Cup stats

1958

5 Gerd Muller - 14 goals

Gerd Muller's record on the international stage is quite simply astounding. The centre-forward scored a remarkable 68 goals in 62 appearances for West Germany and 14 of those came in the World Cup. Muller, who won the Ballon d'Or award in 1970, appeared at two World Cups and won the 1974 edition after netting four goals whilst laying on three assists. His goalscoring record at the 1970 tournament was even greater, scoring 10 goals across six outings.

Muller scored successive hat-tricks in wins over Bulgaria and Peru and is the last player to net two hat-tricks at a World Cup. His 10-goal tally in 1970 is the third most in the competition's history behind only the aforementioned Kocsis and Fontaine.

Gerd Muller's World Cup stats

1970

1974

4 Ronaldo - 15 goals

Ronaldo is the second top scorer in World Cup history having scored 15 goals in the illustrious competition. The Brazillian centre-forward won the 2002 edition and was crowned top-scorer after netting eight goals , including a brace against Germany in the final. Ronaldo's last World Cup came in 2006 and he scored three times before his nation bowed out in the quarter-final to eventual finalists France.

He retired in 2011 ending a glittering career which saw him represent the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid whilst firing in 62 goals on the international stage. Ronaldo is currently working as the president of Spanish second-tier outfit Real Valladolid, a club he owns. He also owns Brazillian top-flight side Cruzeiro.

Ronaldo's World Cup stats

1994

1998

2002

2006

3 Miroslav Klose - 16 goals

Miroslav Klose was the top scorer in World Cup history for two decades after starring from 2002 until 2014. The German centre-forward netted 16 times across 24 appearances and on his World Cup debut, he scored a hat-trick in an 8-0 win against Saudi Arabia in 2002. Klose appeared at four editions of the competition and received the Golden Boot award in 2006 after scoring five goals. He won the tournament in 2014 at the age of 36 and played a key role in achieving the feat, netting twice whilst turning provider on one occasion.

Klose retired in 2016 as Germany's all-time top scorer with 71 goals and is cemented as a World Cup hero. Klose has worked in the dugout post-playing career and has managed Rheindorf Altach and FC Nurnberg.

Miroslav Klose's World Cup stats

2002

2006

2010

2014

2 Kylian Mbappe - 18 goals

Remarkably, Kylian Mbappe is already in the top three all-time top goalscorers in World Cup history and he's still got a long way to go in his career. After appearing at his first two World Cups, he netted 12 goals across 14 appearances, including a hat-trick in the 2022 final defeat to Argentina. Mbappe became the first player to score three goals in the competition's final since England's Geoff Hurst in 1966. Despite the heartbreaking penalty shootout loss, Mbappe took home the Golden Boot Award having scored eight goals.

The brilliant forward also scored in the 2018 final during a 4-2 triumph against Croatia. Mbappe's long-range strike made him the second-ever teenager to net in the final after Pele in 1958. He then scored twice in his opening match against Senegal at the 2026 World Cup, to overtake Olivier Giroud's record as his country's all-time top goalscorer (on 58 goals) and added two more to go level with Klose, reaching 16 goals in 16 appearances.

Kylian Mbappe's World Cup stats

2018

2022

2026

1 Lionel Messi - 19 goals

Lionel Messi is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time and if that notion wasn't already cemented, it certainly was when he lifted the World Cup in 2022 for the first time in his career. The former Barcelona playmaker scored seven times whilst turning provider on three occasions to help Argentina win the competition for the first time since 1986. Messi was named Player of the Tournament for the second time in his career, becoming the first player to achieve such a feat.

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At 38 years of age, he became the World Cup's joint-leading goalscorer at the 2026 World Cup by netting a stunning hat-trick against Algeria in Argentina's opening match of the tournament - an extraordinary achievement given his game is about much more than goals - then smashed the record with a further two goals against Austria (in a game where he also missed a penalty).

Lionel Messi's World Cup stats

2006

2010

2014

2018

2022

2026

Top 10 Goalscorers in World Cup History

Statistics according to FIFA - Correct as of 01/07/2026.

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