World Cup Top Scorers As Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe Eye History in 2026
- Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe could become the highest goalscorers in the history of the World Cup
- Both players head into the 2026 tournament within touching distance of record goalscorer Miroslav Klose
- Messi will feature in his final tournament this year, while Mbappe could feature in at least two more editions
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature two players who could finish the tournament as the outright top scorer in World Cup history.
Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe are within touching distance of German football legend Miroslav Klose, who is the leading scorer with 16 goals.
Source: Getty Images
Messi, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, will become the only players to feature at six tournaments if they play this year.
Legit.ng looks at the top scorers in World Cup history ahead of the 2026 edition.
World Cup top scorers
1. Miroslav Klose
As noted by FIFA, German football legend Miroslav Klose is the highest goalscorer in World Cup history with 16 goals scored across four tournaments.
Klose played 24 matches across the 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 editions, scoring five, five, four and two goals respectively and won the tournament in his final outing.
2. Ronaldo
El Fenomeno sits 2nd on the list of all-time top scorers in the Mundial with 15 goals in 19 games, which he scored across three tournaments despite featuring in four.
Ronaldo failed to score in his first edition in 1994, scored four in 1998, eight goals in 2002 and three in 2006. He is a two-time World Cup winner with Brazil.
3. Just Fontaine
French football legend Just Fontaine is third on the all-time top scorers list with 13 goals despite featuring in only one World Cup edition in 1958 and playing six matches, as noted by The Analyst.
The Moroccan-born forward manager led Les Bleus in 1967 in his first job after retiring and also the country of his birth, Morocco. He passed away in 2023 at the age of 89.
3. Lionel Messi
Messi has featured at five World Cup tournaments and is set to feature at a joint record sixth when he takes to the pitch in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has scored in all editions except the 2010 edition in South Africa and has 13 goals in 26 matches. He could break Klose’s record in what is his final tournament.
5. Kylian Mbappe
Mbappe has featured at two FIFA World Cups and played in the final of both tournaments in 2018 and 2022, winning in Russia, but lost to Messi’s Argentina in Qatar.
Source: Getty Images
He has played 14 matches across the two editions, scoring 12 goals. He scored four goals in 2018 and added another eight in 2022, including a hat-trick in the final. If he keeps up his current pace, he will finish his career as the top scorer in history.
5. Pele
Pele featured in four World Cup tournaments, including his first in 1958 as a teenager. He won three World Cups, a record. He scored 12 goals in 14 matches across all - six, one, one and four goals in 1958, 1962, 1966 and 1970 respectively.
Supercomputer predicts World Cup winner
Legit.ng previously reported that Opta’s supercomputer predicted the top five favourite countries that could win the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Spain is the leading favourite to win their second tournament, while France, England, Argentina and Portugal make up the rest of the top five for the tournament.
Source: Legit.ng
