Most World Cup Goals
Germany’s Miroslav Klose remains the top goal scorer in FIFA World Cup history. He scored 16 times over four World Cup tournaments.
Behind Miroslav is Brazil’s Ronaldo and Germany’s Gerd Muller.
As for the rest of the players, here is a list of the top goal scorers in FIFA World Cup history.
Will Messi, who stands tall at #4, ever be the top World Cup scorer? I guess we’ll see if he plays in 2026!
| RANK | PLAYER | COUNTRY | GOALS | TOURNAMENTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miroslav Klose | Germany | 16 | 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| 2 | Ronaldo | Brazil | 15 | 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006 |
| 3 | Gerd Muller | West Germany | 14 | 1970, 1974 |
| 4 | Just Fontaine | France | 13 | 1958 |
| 4 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 13 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 |
| 6 | Pele | Brazil | 12 | 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 |
| 6 | Kylian Mbappe | France | 12 | 2018, 2022 |
| 8 | Sandor Kocsis | Hungary | 11 | 1954 |
| 8 | Jurgen Klinsmann | West Germany & Germany | 11 | 1990, 1994, 1998 |
| 10 | Helmut Rahn | West Germany | 10 | 1954, 1958 |
| 10 | Gary Lineker | England | 10 | 1986, 1990 |
| 10 | Gabriel Batistuta | Argentina | 10 | 1994, 1998, 2002 |
| 10 | Teofilo Cubillas | Peru | 10 | 1970, 1978, 1982 |
| 10 | Thomas Muller | Germany | 10 | 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 |
| 10 | Grzegorz Lato | Poland | 10 | 1974, 1978, 1982 |
| 16 | Ademir | Brazil | 9 | 1950 |
| 16 | Eusebio | Portugal | 9 | 1966 |
| 16 | Christian Vieri | Italy | 9 | 1998, 2002 |
| 16 | Vava | Brazil | 9 | 1958, 1962 |
| 16 | David Villa | Spain | 9 | 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| 16 | Paolo Rossi | Italy | 9 | 1978, 1982, 1986 |
| 16 | Jairzinho | Brazil | 9 | 1966, 1970, 1974 |
| 16 | Roberto Baggio | Italy | 9 | 1990, 1994, 1998 |
| 16 | Karl-Heinz Rummenigge | West Germany | 9 | 1978, 1982, 1986 |
| 16 | Uwe Seeler | West Germany | 9 | 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 |
| 26 | Guillermo Stabile | Argentina | 8 | 1930 |
| 26 | Leonidas | Brazil | 8 | 1934, 1938 |
| 26 | Oscar Miguez | Uruguay | 8 | 1950, 1954 |
| 26 | Harry Kane | England | 8 | 2018, 2022 |
| 26 | Neymar | Brazil | 8 | 2014, 2018, 2022 |
| 26 | Rivaldo | Brazil | 8 | 2014, 2018, 2022 |
| 26 | Rudi Voller | West Germany & Germany | 8 | 1986, 1990, 1994 |
| 26 | Diego Maradona | Argentina | 8 | 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994 |
| 26 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 8 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 |
| 35 | Oldrich Nejedly | Czechoslovakia | 7 | 1934, 1938 |
| 35 | Lajos Tichy | Hungary | 7 | 1958, 1962, 1966 |
| 35 | Careca | Brazil | 7 | 1986, 1990 |
| 35 | Johnny Rep | Netherlands | 7 | 1974, 1978 |
| 35 | Andrzej Szarmach | Poland | 7 | 1974, 1978, 1982 |
| 35 | Hans Schafer | West Germany | 7 | 1954, 1958, 1962 |
| 35 | Luis Suarez | Uruguay | 7 | 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 |
Can you guess who the top World Cup scorer for the United States is?
Landon Donovan with five goals over three different appearances.
Written By: Beau Bridges
Beau is the founder of SoccerNovo, dedicated to helping players and parents navigate the youth soccer landscape. As a former youth coach and soccer parent, he shares insights on player development, recruiting, and the ever-evolving soccer scene in the U.S.
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