Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, after scoring five and four goals respectively in their first two games of the FIFA World Cup 2026, are now the two highest goal-scorers in the tournament's history.
While Messi holds the record for the most goals in FIFA World Cup history with 18 goals to his name, it took him 28 games to reach that number. Mbappe, on the other hand, reached the 16-goal mark in just 16 appearances at the biggest stage.
Top goal scorers
Rank Player Country Goals
1 Lionel Messi Argentina 18
2 Kylian Mbappe France 16
2 Miroslav Klose Germany 16
4 Ronaldo Brazil 15
4 Gerd Muller Germany 14
6 Just Fontaine France 13
Messi's goals in WC:
WC Matches Goals
2006 3 1
2010 5 0
2014 7 4
2018 4 1
2022 7 7
2026 2* 5*
Mbappe’s goals in WC:
WC Matches Goals
2018 7 4
2022 7 8
2026 2* 4*
At 38, he is the third-oldest goal-scorer in FIFA World Cup history, while his goal in the 2006 World Cup at the age of 18 puts him ninth on the list of the youngest players to ever score in a World Cup.
Moreover, Messi’s hat-trick against Algeria in the opening game of the this World Cup also makes him the oldest player to score a hat-trick in the tournament's history, going past Cristiano Ronaldo’s record. Ronaldo is second on the list with his hat-trick against Spain in 2018 at the age of 33.
While Messi holds the record for the most goals in World Cup history with 18 goals to his name, it took him 28 games to reach that number. Mbappe, on the other hand, reached the 16-goal mark in just 16 appearances at the biggest stage.
Oldest players to score a goal in WC history:
Player Country Age Match
Roger Milla Cameroon 42 years, 39 days vs Russia, 1994
Pepe Portugal 39 years, 283 days vs Switzerland, 2022
Lionel Messi Argentina 38 years, 363 days vs Austria, 2026
Cristiano Ronaldo Portugal 37 years, 292 days vs Ghana, 2022
Gunnar Gren Sweden 37 years, 236 days vs West Germany, 1958
Oldest players to score a hat-trick in WC history:
Player Age Match
Lionel Messi 38 years, 357 days Argentina vs Algeria, 2026
Cristiano Ronaldo 33 years, 130 days Portugal vs Spain, 2018
Rob Rensenbrink 30 years, 335 days Netherlands vs Iran, 1978
Pedro Cea 29 years, 329 days Uruguay vs Yugoslavia, 1930
Another record both players eye:
Apart from the record for the most goals in tournament history, both players are also eyeing the record for the most goals in a single World Cup edition. If they go all the way to the final, they will play eight games in total, which is one more than in previous editions. Given their respective starts, it should be no suprise if either or both of them end up taking that 48-year-old distinction from France’s Just Fontaine, who scored 13 goals in the 1958 World Cup.
Most goals in a single FIFA World Cup edition:
Player Country Goals Year
Just Fontaine France 13 1958
Sandor Kocsis Hungary 11 1954
Gerd Muller West Germany 10 1970
Ademir Brazil 9 1950
Eusebio Portugal 9 1966
Guillermo Stabile Argentina 8 1930
Ronaldo Brazil 8 2002
Kylian Mbappe France 8 2022
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