France captain, Kylian Mbappe, has become the FIFA World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer after finishing the 2026 tournament with 22 goals, moving ahead of Argentina captain, Lionel Messi.
The updated World Cup all-time goalscorers chart released after the 2026 FIFA World Cup final places the Real Madrid forward at the top with 22 goals from just 22 World Cup appearances.
Messi, whose Argentina side lost 1-0 to Spain in the final, ends his World Cup career with 21 goals from a record 34 matches across six tournaments.
Mbappe claimed the record after scoring twice in France’s 6-4 defeat to England in the third-place play-off. The two goals also secured the Golden Boot as the tournament’s top scorer with 10 goals in eight matches.
The achievement makes Mbappe the first player to win the World Cup Golden Boot at consecutive tournaments, having also finished as the leading scorer at Qatar 2022 with eight goals.
Messi had briefly taken the World Cup all-time goalscorers record during the group stage after scoring twice against Austria. Earlier in the tournament, he also became the oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick when he netted three times against Algeria at the age of 38.
However, Mbappe’s goalscoring form throughout the competition saw him move clear of both Messi and former Germany striker Miroslav Klose, who held the record for more than a decade with 16 goals.
Brazil legend Ronaldo remains fourth on the all-time list with 15 goals in 19 matches, while Germany’s Gerd Müller and England captain Harry Kane share fifth place with 14 goals each. Müller reached the total in just 13 matches, while Kane needed 18 appearances.
France’s Just Fontaine still holds the record for the most goals scored at a single World Cup after finding the net 13 times in only six matches at the 1958 tournament.
Brazil great Pelé is eighth with 12 goals, while Germany’s Jürgen Klinsmann, Hungary’s Sándor Kocsis and Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo are tied on 11 goals.
| Rank | Player | Country | Goals | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kylian Mbappe | France | 22 | 22 |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 21 | 34 |
| 3 | Miroslav Klose | Germany | 16 | 24 |
| 4 | Ronaldo | Brazil | 15 | 19 |
| 5 | Gerd Müller | Germany | 14 | 13 |
| 5 | Harry Kane | England | 14 | 18 |
| 7 | Just Fontaine | France | 13 | 6 |
| 8 | Pelé | Brazil | 12 | 14 |
| 9 | Jürgen Klinsmann | Germany | 11 | 17 |
| 9 | Sándor Kocsis | Hungary | 11 | 5 |
| 9 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 11 | 27 |
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