All-Time Leading Goal Scorers In FIFA World Cup History
FIFA World Cup 2026 is just around the corner and the buzz is starting to ring around the sports world and rightly so considering FIFA World Cup is the biggest sports event on every scale. Did you know, FIFA world Cup is the most watched sports event in the world ? well it is and that too by quite some margin.
We can expect another thrilling month of international football in June-July 2026 in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States will be the 2026 edition of the tournament and Brazil has the record of winning 5 world cups more than any other nation. Today we take a look at all time leading goal scorers in FIFA World Cup history.
FIFA World Cup all-time leading scorers
Miroslav Klose, Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Pele, Gerd Muller and Just Fontaine among the many greats to feature.
All-Time Top Goal Scorers in FIFA World Cup History
| Player | Goals | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 🇩🇪 Miroslav Klose | 16 | 24 |
| 🇧🇷 Ronaldo | 15 | 19 |
| 🇩🇪 Gerd Müller | 14 | 13 |
| 🇫🇷 Just Fontaine | 13 | 6 |
| 🇦🇷 Lionel Messi | 13 | 26 |
| 🇧🇷 Pelé | 12 | 14 |
| 🇫🇷 Kylian Mbappé | 12 | 14 |
| 🇭🇺 Sándor Kocsis | 11 | 5 |
| 🇩🇪 Jürgen Klinsmann | 11 | 17 |
| 🇩🇪 Helmut Rahn | 10 | 10 |
Miroslav Klose – Germany
Goals: 16 World Cups: Four – 2002 (five goals), 2006 (five goals), 2010 (four goals), 2014 (two goals) Matches played: 24
Miroslav Klose | Germany | Classic Players
Watch some of the best players ever to participate in the FIFA World Cup™.
Ronaldo – Brazil
Goals: 15 World Cups: Four – 1994 (no goals), 1998 (four goals), 2002 (eight goals), 2006 (three goals) Matches played: 19
Ronaldo | Brazil | Classic Players
Watch some of the best players ever to participate in the FIFA World Cup™.
Gerd Muller – West Germany
Goals: 14 World Cups: Two – 1970 (10 goals), 1974 (four goals) Matches played: 13
Gerd Müller | Germany FR | Classic Players
Watch some of the best players ever to participate in the FIFA World Cup™.
Just Fontaine – France
Goals: 13 World Cups: One – 1958 Matches played: Six
Just Fontaine | France | Classic Players
Watch some of the best players ever to participate in the FIFA World Cup™.
Lionel Messi – Argentina
Goals: 13 World Cups: Five – 2006 (one goal), 2010 (no goals), 2014 (four goals), 2018 (one goal), 2022 (seven goals) Matches played: 26
Lionel Messi | All FIFA World Cup goals with Argentina
Watch all goals ever scored by Lionel Messi in FIFA World Cup history.
Kylian Mbappe – France
Goals: 12 World Cups: Two – 2018 (four goals), 2022 (eight goals) Matches played: 14
Kylian Mbappé | All FIFA World Cup goals with France
Watch all goals ever scored by Kylian Mbappé in FIFA World Cup history.
Pele – Brazil
Goals: 12 World Cups: Four – 1958 (six goals), 1962 (one goal), 1966 (one goal), 1970 (four goals) Matches played: 14
Pelé | Brazil | Classic Players
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Jurgen Klinsmann – West Germany / Germany
Goals: 11 World Cups: Three – 1990 (three goals), 1994 (five goals), 1998 (three goals) Matches played: 17
Jürgen Klinsmann | Germany | Classic Players
Watch some of the best players ever to participate in the FIFA World Cup™.
Sandor Kocsis – Hungary
Goals: 11 World Cups: One – 1954 Matches played: Five
Germany FR v Hungary | 1954 FIFA World Cup Switzerland™ | Classic Matches
Watch highlights of some of the best matches ever played in the FIFA World Cup™.
Gabriel Batistuta – Argentina
Goals: 10 World Cups: Three – 1994 (four goals), 1998 (five goals), 2002 (one goal) Matches played: 12
Gabriel Batistuta | Silver Shoe Award | 1998 FIFA World Cup France™
The adidas Golden Boot was first awarded to the top goalscorer of the tournament in 1982 under the name Golden Shoe. It was renamed Golden Boot in 2010. Runners-up are awarded the adidas Silver Boot and adidas Bronze Boot awards respectively.
Teofilo Cubillas – Peru
Goals: 10 World Cups: Three – 1970 (five goals), 1978 (five goals), 1982 (no goals) Matches played: 13
Teófilo Cubillas | Silver Boot Award | 1978 FIFA World Cup Argentina™
The adidas Golden Boot was first awarded to the top goalscorer of the tournament in 1982 under the name Golden Shoe. It was renamed Golden Boot in 2010. Runners-up are awarded the adidas Silver Boot and adidas Bronze Boot awards respectively.
Grzegorz Lato – Poland
Goals: 10 World Cups: Three – 1974 (seven goals), 1978 (two goals), 1982 (one goal) Matches played: 20
Grzegorz Lato | Top Goalscorer | 1974 FIFA World Cup Germany™
The adidas Golden Boot was first awarded to the top goalscorer of the tournament in 1982 under the name Golden Shoe. It was renamed Golden Boot in 2010. Runners-up are awarded the adidas Silver Boot and adidas Bronze Boot awards respectively.
Gary Lineker – England
Goals: 10 World Cups: Two – 1986 (six goals), 1990 (four goals) Matches played: 12
Gary Lineker | Golden Shoe Award | 1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico™
The adidas Golden Boot was first awarded to the top goalscorer of the tournament in 1982 under the name Golden Shoe. It was renamed Golden Boot in 2010. Runners-up are awarded the adidas Silver Boot and adidas Bronze Boot awards respectively.
Thomas Muller – Germany
Goals: 10 World Cups: Four – 2010 (five goals), 2014 (five goals), 2018 (no goals), 2022 (no goals) Matches played: 19
Thomas Muller | All FIFA World Cup goals with Germany
Watch all goals ever scored by Thomas Muller in FIFA World Cup history.
Helmut Rahn – West Germany
Goals: 10 World Cups: Two – 1954 (four goals), 1958 (six goals) Matches played: 10
German Giants | 1954 FIFA World Cup™ Official Film
Evocative footage from Switzerland 1954 captures ‘The Miracle of Berne’ – the unforgettable conclusion to a remarkable FIFA World Cup™.
Ademir – Brazil
Goals: 9 World Cups: One – 1950 Matches played: Six
Every top scorer in FIFA World Cup history
From Just Fontaine and Gary Lineker to Ronaldo and James Rodriguez, recap some of the FIFA World Cup’s™ best-ever goal getters
Roberto Baggio – Italy
Goals: 9 World Cups: Three – 1990 (two goals), 1994 (five goals), 1998 (two goals) Matches played: 16
Roberto Baggio | Silver Ball Award | 1994 FIFA World Cup USA™
The adidas Golden Ball is presented to the best player at each FIFA World Cup finals. Those who finish as runners-up in the vote receive the adidas Silver Ball and Bronze Ball awards as the second and third most outstanding players in the tournament respectively.
Eusebio – Portugal
Goals: 9 World Cups: One – 1966 Matches played: Six
Eusébio | Top goalscorer | 1966 FIFA World Cup England™
The adidas Golden Boot was first awarded to the top goalscorer of the tournament in 1982 under the name Golden Shoe. It was renamed Golden Boot in 2010. Runners-up are awarded the adidas Silver Boot and adidas Bronze Boot awards respectively.
Jairzinho – Brazil
Goals: 9 World Cups: Three – 1966 (no goals), 1970 (seven goals), 1974 (two goals) Matches played: 16
Jairzinho | Silver Boot Award | 1970 FIFA World Cup Mexico™
The adidas Golden Boot was first awarded to the top goalscorer of the tournament in 1982 under the name Golden Shoe. It was renamed Golden Boot in 2010. Runners-up are awarded the adidas Silver Boot and adidas Bronze Boot awards respectively.
Paolo Rossi – Italy
Goals: 9 World Cups: Two – 1978 (three goals), 1982 (six goals) Matches played: 14
Paolo Rossi | Golden Ball Award | 1982 FIFA World Cup Spain™
The adidas Golden Ball is presented to the best player at each FIFA World Cup finals. Those who finish as runners-up in the vote receive the adidas Silver Ball and Bronze Ball awards as the second and third most outstanding players in the tournament respectively.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge – West Germany
Goals: 9 World Cups: Three – 1978 (three goals), 1982 (five goals), 1986 (one goal) Matches played: 19
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge I Silver Boot Award – 1982 FIFA World Cup Spain™
The adidas Golden Boot was first awarded to the top goalscorer of the tournament in 1982 under the name Golden Shoe. It was renamed Golden Boot in 2010. Runners-up are awarded the adidas Silver Boot and adidas Bronze Boot awards respectively.
Uwe Seeler – West Germany
Goals: 9 World Cups: Four – 1958 (two goals), 1962 (two goals), 1966 (two goals), 1970 (three goals) Matches played: 21
Uwe Seeler Goal 82′ | Germany FR vs England | 1970 FIFA World Cup Mexico™
Watch every single goal from the 1970 FIFA World Cup Mexico™.
Vava – Brazil
Goals: 9 World Cups: Two – 1958 (five goals), 1962 (four goals) Matches played: 10
Viva Brasil | 1962 FIFA World Cup™ Official Film
From violence to beauty, from ‘The Battle of Santiago’ to ‘The Little Bird’ inspiring Brazil to back-to-back crowns, this is the story of a memorable FIFA World Cup.
Christian Vieri – Italy
Goals: 9 World Cups: Two – 1998 (five goals), 2002 (four goals) Matches played: Nine
Christian Vieri I Silver Boot Award – 1998 FIFA World Cup France™
The adidas Golden Boot was first awarded to the top goalscorer of the tournament in 1982 under the name Golden Shoe. It was renamed Golden Boot in 2010. Runners-up are awarded the adidas Silver Boot and adidas Bronze Boot awards respectively.
David Villa – Spain
Goals: 9 World Cups: Three – 2006 (three goals), 2010 (five goals), 2014 (one goal) Matches played: 12
David Villa | Spain | Classic Players
Watch some of the best players ever to participate in the FIFA World Cup™.
