Most goals in World Cup history: List of all-time top scorers in FIFA men's soccer tournament as Messi ties Klose

Most goals in World Cup history: List of all-time top scorers in FIFA men's soccer tournament as Messi ties Klose originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

At one time or another, most of the greatest goalscorers of all time have brought their abilities to bear at the FIFA World Cup .

The 2026 tournament in North America will once again bring Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to the biggest stage, perhaps for the final time.

Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane are other leading superstars with superb international records, but the World Cup's leading scorer charts are also a place where a cult hero can sit comfortably.

As Messi and Ronaldo contest their record sixth tournaments, where do they and other giants of the game sit in the list of all-time top scorers at the World Cup?

MORE: Ranking the 11 greatest FIFA World Cup tournaments by an individual player

Germany striker Miroslav Klose was the outright leading scorer in World Cup history, with 16 goals across four tournaments. Lionel Messi 's stunning hat-trick in Argentina's opening 2026 win over Algeria put him level with Klose at the top of the historical rankings.

Die Mannschaft have had more celebrated strikers, such as Gerd Muller and Jurgen Klinsmann , who also feature on this list. Former Bayer Leverkusen , Bayern Munich and Lazio striker Klose was never considered among the leading strikers in the world during a long and distinguished playing career.