FootyTipsWorld Cup All-Time Top Scorers
Miroslav Klose of Germany is the World Cup's all-time leading goalscorer, with 16 goals. Here are the top 20 marksmen in World Cup finals history — goals at the finals only, since 1930.
Top 20 World Cup goalscorers
| # | Player | Country | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miroslav Klose | Germany | 16 |
| 2 | Ronaldo | Brazil | 15 |
| 3 | Gerd Müller | Germany | 14 |
| 4 | Just Fontaine | France | 13 |
| 5 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 13 |
| 6 | Pelé | Brazil | 12 |
| 7 | Kylian Mbappé | France | 12 |
| 8 | Sándor Kocsis | Hungary | 11 |
| 9 | Jürgen Klinsmann | Germany | 11 |
| 10 | Helmut Rahn | Germany | 10 |
| 11 | Teófilo Cubillas | Peru | 10 |
| 12 | Grzegorz Lato | Poland | 10 |
| 13 | Gary Lineker | England | 10 |
| 14 | Gabriel Batistuta | Argentina | 10 |
| 15 | Thomas Müller | Germany | 10 |
| 16 | Ademir de Menezes | Brazil | 9 |
| 17 | Uwe Seeler | Germany | 9 |
| 18 | Vavá | Brazil | 9 |
| 19 | Eusébio | Portugal | 9 |
| 20 | Jairzinho | Brazil | 9 |
Method & caveats
Counts World Cup finals goals only (qualifiers excluded), own goals excluded, from the open martj42/international_results dataset (CC0). Note: this measures finals goals, not all-time international goals — a player's full national-team tally is usually higher.
FAQ
Who is the all-time top scorer at the World Cup?
Miroslav Klose of Germany, with 16 goals across World Cup finals.
Who are the top World Cup goalscorers of all time?
Miroslav Klose (Germany, 16), Ronaldo (Brazil, 15), Gerd Müller (Germany, 14), Just Fontaine (France, 13), Lionel Messi (Argentina, 13).
How are these counted?
Goals scored in World Cup finals matches only (not qualifiers), own goals excluded, from the open martj42 dataset since 1930.
Updated 2026-06-16 · data: martj42/international_results (CC0). See also the best team of all time and 2026 title odds.