World Cup leading goalscorers of all time: Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe join elite list

The 2022 World Cup final lived up to expectations, as eventual champions Argentina and France produced one of the greatest football matches of all time at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Qatar.

Lionel Messi scored twice and Kylian Mbappe went one better with a hat-trick, just the second ever in a men’s World Cup final.

It was eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi, however, who finally lifted the World Cup trophy as Argentina triumphed 4-2 on penalties after an epic 3-3 draw over 120 minutes.

Messi’s brace took his World Cup tally to 13, surpassing Brazilian legend Pele and drawing level with France’s Just Fontaine as joint-fourth highest scorers in the tournament’s history.

Mbappe, meanwhile, became the 15th player in history to reach double figures at the World Cup, matching Pele’s total, and has moved to within five goals of the all-time record after winning the Golden Boot with eight strikes in Qatar.

The 2026 World Cup offers an opportunity for Messi, Mbappe and other prolific stars to increase their goal tallies on the global stage, and here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the standings in the all-time World Cup goalscoring list.

1. Miroslav Klose (Germany)

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2. Ronaldo (Brazil)

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3. Gerd Muller (West Germany)

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4. Just Fontaine (France)

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5. Lionel Messi (Argentina)

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6. Pele (Brazil)

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7. Kylian Mbappe (France)

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8. Sandor Kocsis (Hungary)

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9. Jurgen Klinsmann (West Germany & Germany)

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10. Helmut Rahn (West Germany)

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11. Gary Lineker (England)

12. Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina)

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13. Teofilo Cubillas (Peru)

14. Thomas Muller (Germany)

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15. Grzegorz Lato (Poland)

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