The 2026 FIFA World Cup may be some way off, but it promises to be the biggest yet, with more nations and players than ever before.
The 2022 edition was the last tournament to feature 32 teams, as from 2026 onwards, there will be 48 countries battling it out for the trophy at the final tournament.
This will see every confederation receive extra spots from now on, which could see a few surprise nations make appearances.
More countries also mean more games, with 104 matches being played in just over a month. This, of course, means more goals, with the extra round indicating the top scorer could potentially hit double digits for the first time since 1970.
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To get everyone in the mood for the tournament, we’ve taken a look at the top nine goalscorers in the history of the World Cup.
Rank
Player
Nation
Appearances
Goals
Miroslav Klose
Germany
24
Ronaldo
Brazil
19
Thomas Muller
Germany
19
Just Fontaine
France
6
Lionel Messi
Argentina
26
Kylian Mbappe
France
14
Pele
Brazil
14
Sandor Kocsis
Hungary
5
Jurgen Klinsmann
Germany
17
9 Jürgen Klinsmann (Germany) 11 goals
Jürgen Klinsmann scored three times as West Germany won their third world title in 1990 in what was the last time they competed as West Germany before unification.
The striker netted five goals for Germany in 1994, although he couldn’t spur his country to another world crown as they were defeated by Bulgaria in the quarter-finals.
His swansong came four years later, netting against the United States, Iran and Mexico to become the first player to score three goals in three successive World Cups.
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ByBrogan Clasper 8 Sandor Kocsis (Hungary) 11 goals
Sandor Kocsis was part of the great Hungarian side which should have won the 1954 tournament. This was the only World Cup Kocsis took part in, but he was sensational throughout.
He scored three against South Korea in the opening game, before netting four against West Germany. Kocsis then scored twice against Brazil and Uruguay in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively to end the competition with 11 goals.
Hungary succumbed to a shock 3-2 defeat to the West Germans in the final, despite racing into a two-goal lead.
7 Pele (Brazil) 12 goals
What more is there to be said about Pele’s World Cup heroics? The only player to win the competition three times, Pele enjoyed a wonderful breakthrough at the 1958 tournament in Sweden, scoring six goals for Brazil – including two in the final – to lead the nation to their first World Cup.
Injury issues affected the Brazilian in 1962 and 1966, with the country successfully defending their title at the former tournament. In his final major competition, the veteran found the back of the net four times, including a wonderful header in the 1970 final against Italy, which was Brazil’s 100th goal in World Cup finals history.
6 Kylian Mbappé (France) 12 goals
Kylian Mbappé was France’s shining light in 2018 as he scored four goals to help his country win their first World Cup since 1998, becoming the first teenager to score in a final since Pele 60 years before.
His goalscoring exploits reached new highs four years later. France may have lost to Argentina in the final, but Mbappé’s eight goals was the most at a single World Cup since 2002, and he netted the first hat-trick in a final since Geoff Hurst in 1966.
With time on his side, he has plenty of other tournaments to look forward to, at least in order to boost this goal tally. Having played the same amount of World Cup games as Pele, he can edge clear of the Brazilian legend with a goal in North America.
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ByStephan Georgiou 5 Lionel Messi (Argentina) 13 goals
Lionel Messi finally got his hands on the World Cup at the fifth time of asking in 2022, scoring seven goals in the process.
While three of the five tournaments he has played have seen him score no more than once, Messi scored four in 2014 as his nation reached the final, before almost single-handedly dragging Argentina over the finishing line in Qatar.
Whether he will make it to 2026 remains to be seen, but he’ll need another goal to edge ahead of Just Fontaine in these rankings, having played in 20 more World Cup clashes.
4 Just Fontaine (France) 13 goals
Just Fontaine may have played in a solitary World Cup, but his exploits in front of goal in Sweden are legendary.
The centre-forward netted 13 goals – the most in any single edition of the tournament – in just six matches. He scored in every one and recorded two hat-tricks in the process as France finished third, losing to Brazil in the semi-finals.
Surely this is a total which won’t be beaten, despite the increase in the number of games from 2026 onwards.
3 Gerd Müller (West Germany) 14 goals
Gerd Müller will go down as one of the greatest strikers in the history of the game, and is currently ranked third for goals scored at the World Cup.
Muller netted ten on his debut in 1970, including hat-tricks against Bulgaria and Peru while scoring in the win over England in the quarter-finals.
Four years later, Muller netted the winner against the Netherlands in the final, which saw West Germany capture their second World Cup trophy.
2 Ronaldo (Brazil) 15 goals
Ronaldo was part of Brazil’s victorious 1994 squad, but he didn’t make an appearance. In 1998, he scored four after emerging as the best forward in the world, yet he looked a shadow of himself in the final after suffering a seizure beforehand.
Redemption was secured four years later as his eight goals fired Brazil to the title, even netting twice in the final.
Against Ghana in the second round in 2006, Ronaldo scored with his trademark move of rounding the goalkeeper, scoring his 15th World Cup goal and going one clear of Muller with 15 to set a new all-time record.
1 Miroslav Klose (Germany) 16 goals
Miroslav Klose announced himself to the world in 2002, netting five times as Germany reached the final before repeating the trick four years later on home soil, although they could only finish third.
Four goals were scored at the 2010 tournament, including efforts against England and Argentina as Germany finished third for the second consecutive tournament.
2014 was to be his final World Cup, and it saw Klose finally get his hands on a winners’ medal in Brazil. Klose also scored his 16th and final World Cup goal, putting him one clear of Ronaldo.