Who are the all-time top scorers at the FIFA World Cup?
Miroslav Klose holds the all-time record with 16 World Cup goals across four tournaments. Ten players have scored 12 or more goals in World Cup history, per Wikipedia's documented totals.
Verified·Records sourced June 2026
16
World Cup goals by Miroslav Klose, the all-time record, across four tournaments.
Lionel Messi
13 goals Among the all-time scorers, Lionel Messi (13) is the only active player; free-licensed image via the squad-face harvest.
Last verified 2026-06-15 04:10 UTC - auto-refreshed
| Player | Country | Goals | Tournaments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miroslav Klose | Germany | 16 | 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| Ronaldo | Brazil | 15 | 1998, 2002, 2006 |
| Gerd Muller | West Germany | 14 | 1970, 1974 |
| Just Fontaine | France | 13 | 1958 |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 13 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 |
| Pele | Brazil | 12 | 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 |
| Gary Lineker | England | 12 | 1986, 1990 |
| Gabriel Batistuta | Argentina | 12 | 1994, 1998, 2002 |
| Teofilo Cubillas | Peru | 12 | 1970, 1978 |
| David Villa | Spain | 12 | 2006, 2010 |
Source: Wikipedia "FIFA World Cup top goalscorers" article, verified June 2026. Individual player articles cross-checked for Klose (16) and Ronaldo (15).
Notes
- Gerd Muller scored 14 goals but his name is sometimes transliterated as Gerd Mueller.
- Pele and Teofilo Cubillas totals per Wikipedia documented records.