{"id":3572,"date":"2026-06-17T07:02:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T11:02:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/?post_type=news&p=3572"},"modified":"2026-06-17T07:02:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T11:02:40","slug":"world-cup-all-time-top-scorers","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/","title":{"rendered":"Most World Cup goals ever: the all-time top scorers as Messi ties Klose"},"content":{"rendered":"

The race to be the World Cup\u2019s all-time top scorer exploded into life on 16 June.<\/strong> In the space of a few hours, Lionel Messi scored a hat trick against Algeria to draw level with Miroslav Klose at the summit, Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 struck twice against Senegal to join Gerd M\u00fcller, and Erling Haaland announced himself with a debut brace. For the first time in years the record for the most goals in World Cup history is genuinely up for grabs \u2014 and the Golden Boot odds<\/a> have moved with it.<\/p>\n\n

Most World Cup goals: the all-time top scorers<\/h2>\n

Klose set the benchmark of 16 across four tournaments between 2002 and 2014. Two decades on, Messi has matched it \u2014 and he is still playing. Here is the all-time men\u2019s World Cup top-scorer list as it stands.<\/p>\n\n

Player<\/th>Country<\/th>WC goals<\/th>Tournaments<\/th>Status<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Miroslav Klose<\/strong><\/td>Germany<\/td>16<\/td>2002\u20132014<\/td>Retired<\/td><\/tr>
Lionel Messi<\/strong><\/td>Argentina<\/td>16<\/td>2006\u20132026<\/td>Active<\/td><\/tr>
Ronaldo<\/strong><\/td>Brazil<\/td>15<\/td>1998\u20132006<\/td>Retired<\/td><\/tr>
Gerd M\u00fcller<\/strong><\/td>West Germany<\/td>14<\/td>1970\u20131974<\/td>Retired<\/td><\/tr>
Kylian Mbapp\u00e9<\/strong><\/td>France<\/td>14<\/td>2018\u20132026<\/td>Active<\/td><\/tr>
Just Fontaine<\/strong><\/td>France<\/td>13<\/td>1958<\/td>Retired<\/td><\/tr>
Pel\u00e9<\/strong><\/td>Brazil<\/td>12<\/td>1958\u20131970<\/td>Retired<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

The day of the stars, by the numbers<\/h2>\n

All three of the tournament\u2019s headline forwards scored on the same day. Messi\u2019s treble was the biggest statement, lifting him 80 minutes from outright history; Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s double included a 30-yard stunner; and Haaland marked his first World Cup appearance with two goals.<\/p>\n\n

Player<\/th>Goals on 16 June<\/th>All-time WC goals now<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Lionel Messi<\/strong><\/td>3<\/td>16<\/td><\/tr>
Kylian Mbapp\u00e9<\/strong><\/td>2<\/td>14<\/td><\/tr>
Erling Haaland<\/strong><\/td>2<\/td>2<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

The Golden Boot race: latest odds<\/h2>\n

The hat trick did not just move Messi level with Klose; it made him the new favourite to finish as the tournament\u2019s leading scorer. Mbapp\u00e9 is just behind, with Haaland the value pick after his brace. The latest World Cup 2026 Golden Boot odds<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n

Player<\/th>Country<\/th>Golden Boot odds<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Lionel Messi<\/strong><\/td>Argentina<\/td>3.25<\/td><\/tr>
Kylian Mbapp\u00e9<\/strong><\/td>France<\/td>3.50<\/td><\/tr>
Erling Haaland<\/strong><\/td>Norway<\/td>6.00<\/td><\/tr>
Harry Kane<\/strong><\/td>England<\/td>8.00<\/td><\/tr>
Kai Havertz<\/strong><\/td>Germany<\/td>11.00<\/td><\/tr>
Lamine Yamal<\/strong><\/td>Spain<\/td>17.00<\/td><\/tr>
Cristiano Ronaldo<\/strong><\/td>Portugal<\/td>19.00<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

Can anyone catch Klose?<\/h2>\n

Messi needs just one more goal to stand alone as the greatest scorer in World Cup history, and Argentina have at least two group games to come. Mbapp\u00e9, at 27, is the longer-term threat: three goals would take him past both Messi and the record. Read Messi\u2019s World Cup records<\/a> and Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s World Cup goals<\/a> in full \u2014 with Ronaldo, stuck on eight World Cup goals since 2006, now a bystander. Follow every goal on our World Cup 2026 stats<\/a> page and the World Cup 2026 hub<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

Who has scored the most goals in World Cup history?<\/strong>

Miroslav Klose and Lionel Messi share the record with 16 goals each. Messi drew level with a hat trick against Algeria on 16 June 2026 and, as the only active player of the two, can break the record outright.<\/p><\/div>

How many World Cup goals does Lionel Messi have?<\/strong>

Sixteen \u2014 level with Klose at the top of the all-time list after his hat trick against Algeria at the 2026 World Cup.<\/p><\/div>

Can Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 break the World Cup goal record?<\/strong>

Yes. Mbapp\u00e9 has 14 World Cup goals at 27 and needs three more to pass Klose and Messi on 16. He is among the favourites for the 2026 Golden Boot.<\/p><\/div>

Who is favourite for the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot?<\/strong>

Lionel Messi is the bookmakers\u2019 favourite at around 3.25, just ahead of Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 (3.50) and Erling Haaland (6.00).<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n

Odds via bet365, correct at the time of publication and subject to change. 19+. Please gamble responsibly.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The race to be the World Cup\u2019s all-time top scorer exploded into life on 16 June. In the space of a few hours, Lionel Messi scored a hat trick against Algeria to draw level with Miroslav Klose at the summit, Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 struck twice against Senegal to join Gerd M\u00fcller, and Erling Haaland announced himself…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3591,"featured_media":3578,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"most world cup goals","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Most World Cup goals ever: the all-time top scorers %%sep%% %%sitename%%","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"The all-time World Cup top scorers after Messi tied Klose on 16 and Mbapp\u00e9 reached 14 \u2014 plus the latest Golden Boot odds. 19+.","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"news-category":[],"class_list":["post-3572","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"\nMost World Cup goals ever: the all-time top scorers - Squawka | CA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The all-time World Cup top scorers after Messi tied Klose on 16 and Mbapp\u00e9 reached 14 \u2014 plus the latest Golden Boot odds. 19+.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Most World Cup goals ever: the all-time top scorers as Messi ties Klose\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The all-time World Cup top scorers after Messi tied Klose on 16 and Mbapp\u00e9 reached 14 \u2014 plus the latest Golden Boot odds. 19+.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Squawka | CA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-17T11:02:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/17070035\/ChatGPT-Image-Jun-17-2026-at-12_00_09-PM.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1672\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"941\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Squawka\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"WebPage\",\"FAQPage\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/\",\"name\":\"Most World Cup goals ever: the all-time top scorers - Squawka | CA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/17070035\/ChatGPT-Image-Jun-17-2026-at-12_00_09-PM.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-17T11:02:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-17T11:02:40+00:00\",\"description\":\"The all-time World Cup top scorers after Messi tied Klose on 16 and Mbapp\u00e9 reached 14 \u2014 plus the latest Golden Boot odds. 19+.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#breadcrumb\"},\"mainEntity\":[{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#faq-question-gb1\"},{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#faq-question-gb2\"},{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#faq-question-gb3\"},{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#faq-question-gb4\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/17070035\/ChatGPT-Image-Jun-17-2026-at-12_00_09-PM.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/17070035\/ChatGPT-Image-Jun-17-2026-at-12_00_09-PM.jpg\",\"width\":1672,\"height\":941,\"caption\":\"World Cup trophy graphic for the all-time top scorers as Messi ties Klose\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Most World Cup goals ever: the all-time top scorers as Messi ties Klose\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/\",\"name\":\"Squawka | CA\",\"description\":\"Soccer Stats, Predictions & Betting\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Squawka | CA\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/10210812\/Squawka-Logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/10210812\/Squawka-Logo.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":1000,\"caption\":\"Squawka | CA\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/Squawka\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/squawkafootball\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#faq-question-gb1\",\"position\":1,\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#faq-question-gb1\",\"name\":\"Who has scored the most goals in World Cup history?\",\"answerCount\":1,\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Miroslav Klose and Lionel Messi share the record with 16 goals each. Messi drew level with a hat trick against Algeria on 16 June 2026 and, as the only active player of the two, can break the record outright.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#faq-question-gb2\",\"position\":2,\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#faq-question-gb2\",\"name\":\"How many World Cup goals does Lionel Messi have?\",\"answerCount\":1,\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Sixteen \u2014 level with Klose at the top of the all-time list after his hat trick against Algeria at the 2026 World Cup.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#faq-question-gb3\",\"position\":3,\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#faq-question-gb3\",\"name\":\"Can Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 break the World Cup goal record?\",\"answerCount\":1,\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes. Mbapp\u00e9 has 14 World Cup goals at 27 and needs three more to pass Klose and Messi on 16. He is among the favourites for the 2026 Golden Boot.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#faq-question-gb4\",\"position\":4,\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#faq-question-gb4\",\"name\":\"Who is favourite for the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot?\",\"answerCount\":1,\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Lionel Messi is the bookmakers\u2019 favourite at around 3.25, just ahead of Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 (3.50) and Erling Haaland (6.00).\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Most World Cup goals ever: the all-time top scorers - Squawka | CA","description":"The all-time World Cup top scorers after Messi tied Klose on 16 and Mbapp\u00e9 reached 14 \u2014 plus the latest Golden Boot odds. 19+.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/","og_type":"article","og_title":"Most World Cup goals ever: the all-time top scorers as Messi ties Klose","og_description":"The all-time World Cup top scorers after Messi tied Klose on 16 and Mbapp\u00e9 reached 14 \u2014 plus the latest Golden Boot odds. 19+.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/","og_site_name":"Squawka | CA","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/","article_modified_time":"2026-06-17T11:02:40+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1672,"height":941,"url":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/17070035\/ChatGPT-Image-Jun-17-2026-at-12_00_09-PM.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@Squawka","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["WebPage","FAQPage"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/","url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/","name":"Most World Cup goals ever: the all-time top scorers - Squawka | CA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/17070035\/ChatGPT-Image-Jun-17-2026-at-12_00_09-PM.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-17T11:02:39+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-17T11:02:40+00:00","description":"The all-time World Cup top scorers after Messi tied Klose on 16 and Mbapp\u00e9 reached 14 \u2014 plus the latest Golden Boot odds. 19+.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#breadcrumb"},"mainEntity":[{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#faq-question-gb1"},{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#faq-question-gb2"},{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#faq-question-gb3"},{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#faq-question-gb4"}],"inLanguage":"en-CA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/17070035\/ChatGPT-Image-Jun-17-2026-at-12_00_09-PM.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/17070035\/ChatGPT-Image-Jun-17-2026-at-12_00_09-PM.jpg","width":1672,"height":941,"caption":"World Cup trophy graphic for the all-time top scorers as Messi ties Klose"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Most World Cup goals ever: the all-time top scorers as Messi ties Klose"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/","name":"Squawka | CA","description":"Soccer Stats, Predictions & Betting","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-CA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/#organization","name":"Squawka | CA","url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/10210812\/Squawka-Logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/sites\/15\/2026\/06\/10210812\/Squawka-Logo.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"caption":"Squawka | CA"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/","https:\/\/x.com\/Squawka","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/squawkafootball\/"]},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#faq-question-gb1","position":1,"url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#faq-question-gb1","name":"Who has scored the most goals in World Cup history?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Miroslav Klose and Lionel Messi share the record with 16 goals each. Messi drew level with a hat trick against Algeria on 16 June 2026 and, as the only active player of the two, can break the record outright.","inLanguage":"en-CA"},"inLanguage":"en-CA"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#faq-question-gb2","position":2,"url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#faq-question-gb2","name":"How many World Cup goals does Lionel Messi have?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Sixteen \u2014 level with Klose at the top of the all-time list after his hat trick against Algeria at the 2026 World Cup.","inLanguage":"en-CA"},"inLanguage":"en-CA"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#faq-question-gb3","position":3,"url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#faq-question-gb3","name":"Can Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 break the World Cup goal record?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes. Mbapp\u00e9 has 14 World Cup goals at 27 and needs three more to pass Klose and Messi on 16. He is among the favourites for the 2026 Golden Boot.","inLanguage":"en-CA"},"inLanguage":"en-CA"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#faq-question-gb4","position":4,"url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/news\/world-cup-all-time-top-scorers\/#faq-question-gb4","name":"Who is favourite for the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Lionel Messi is the bookmakers\u2019 favourite at around 3.25, just ahead of Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 (3.50) and Erling Haaland (6.00).","inLanguage":"en-CA"},"inLanguage":"en-CA"}]}},"yoast_title":"Most World Cup goals ever: the all-time top scorers %%sep%% %%sitename%%","yoast_description":"The all-time World Cup top scorers after Messi tied Klose on 16 and Mbapp\u00e9 reached 14 \u2014 plus the latest Golden Boot odds. 19+.","yoast_keyword":"most world cup goals","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/3572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3591"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/3572\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3579,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/3572\/revisions\/3579"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3572"},{"taxonomy":"news-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-category?post=3572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}