Lionel Messi is on the verge of becoming the World Cup's all-time leading goalscorer as Argentina prepare to face Austria in Dallas on Monday night. The Inter Miami star drew level with Germany's Miroslav Klose at the top of the all-time goalscorers table with a hat-trick against Algeria in the opening round, taking his tally to 16 goals.
Messi ties Klose's record
Messi became the first man to play at six World Cup tournaments when he featured against Algeria, and he marked the occasion with a sensational hat-trick to fire the reigning champions to a 3-0 victory. His three goals not only made him an early frontrunner for this year's Golden Boot but also tied the all-time tournament record held by Klose since 2014.
Having previously scored at the 2006, 2014, 2018, and 2022 tournaments, Messi's total now stands at 16 goals, putting him level with the German striker. With Argentina facing Austria, the football legend is widely tipped to score again and become the outright leader, adding yet another record to his staggering collection.
Competition from Mbappe and Kane
However, Messi faces competition further down the line, with France star Kylian Mbappe already closing in on him despite playing at only his third World Cup. The Real Madrid forward is just two goals behind his former Paris Saint-Germain teammate, having scored a brace against Senegal to take his tally to 14 goals.
England captain Harry Kane is the third highest-scoring active player at the tournament, with 10 goals to his name. The all-time list also includes legends such as Brazil's Ronaldo (15 goals), West Germany's Gerd Muller (14 goals), and France's Just Fontaine (13 goals).
All-time World Cup top goalscorers
- 16 - Miroslav Klose (Germany), Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- 15 - Ronaldo (Brazil)
- 14 - Gerd Muller (West Germany), Kylian Mbappe (France)
- 13 - Just Fontaine (France)
- 12 - Pelé (Brazil)
- 11 - Sandor Kocsis (Hungary), Jurgen Klinsmann (West Germany/Germany)
- 10 - Helmut Rahn (West Germany), Gary Lineker (England), Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina), Teófilo Cubillas (Peru), Thomas Müller (Germany), Grzegorz Lato (Poland), Harry Kane (England)
Data correct as of June 21, 2026.
World Cup 2026 top goalscorers so far
- Denis Undav (Germany) - 3 goals, 2 assists
- Lionel Messi (Argentina), Jonathan David (Canada) - 3 goals, 0 assists
- Crysencio Summerville (Netherlands), Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain), Maxi Araujo (Uruguay), Ayase Ueda (Japan), Cody Gakpo (Netherlands), Vinicius Junior (Brazil) - 2 goals, 1 assist
Data correct as of June 21, 2026.
