Messi to Mbappe: Top five highest goal scorers in FIFA World Cup history | FIFA World Cup 2026

On Monday night in Dallas, Argentina captain and one of the greatest players to ever play the sport, Lionel Messi, added another jewel to his crown of records with his two-goal outing against Austria in Group J of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The 38-year-old took his total goal tally in FIFA World Cup history to 18, making him the top scorer in the tournament’s history, surpassing Germany’s Miroslav Klose’s record of 16 goals that had stood since 2014. In fact, Messi had equalled Klose’s record with his hat-trick last week; Monday’s brace took him past it.

Only a few hours later in the early hours of Tuesday, however, France’s Kylian Mbappe announced his challenge to Messi’s newly-earned record as he also netted a brace against Iraq in the Group I clash to take his total World Cup goal tally to a joint second-highest 16, alongside Klose, putting him within hitting distance of Messi’s recently-acquired title.

Brazil’s Ronaldo Nazario, who was second-highest on the list with 15 goals, has now dropped down to fourth spot, while Germany’s Gerd Muller is fifth with 14 goals to his name.

Players with most goals in FIFA World Cup history:

Messi vs Mbappe: The latest rivalry on the grandest stage

Messi vs Ronaldo is a rivalry that has dominated football conversations for over 15 years now. Now, Mbappe has made thrown the gauntlet down, challenging Messi on the grandest stage of them all.

The first encounter between the two at a FIFA World Cup came in the Round of 16 in 2018 in Russia when, with the help of Mbappe’s brace, France knocked Argentina out of the tournament and went on to claim the trophy.

The next encounter was on the biggest and tightest occasion possible, the final of the 2022 World Cup. Mbappe again proved a nemesis for Messi and Argentina, scoring a hat-trick. It fell short, though. Messi scored two goals to push the game into extra time and then a penalty shootout, where Argentina beat France 4-2 to end Messi’s wait for a World Cup trophy.

Now, almost three and a half years later, although the two have not faced each other directly, they are competing with each other in a numerical battle, as Messi, with five goals in two games, is leading both the top goal-scorers’ chart of the tournament and the overall World Cup list, while Mbappe, with four goals in two games, is snapping at his heels on both lists.

FIFA World Cup 2026: Top goal scorers:

Messi’s historic numbers in World Cups

Messi’s run in the FIFA World Cup 2026 has only solidified his status as one of the greatest players to ever feature in the tournament. With his goals against Australia, Messi now features on the list of both the youngest and oldest players to score a goal in FIFA World Cup history.

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 FIFA World Cup.

Moreover, Messi’s hat-trick against Algeria in the opening game of the 2026 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.

Oldest players to score a goal in FIFA World Cup history:

Youngest players to score a goal in FIFA World Cup history:

Oldest players to score a hat-trick in FIFA World Cup history:

Mbappe catching up fast

Lionel Messi’s goals in each FIFA World Cup edition:

Kylian Mbappe’s goals in each FIFA World Cup edition:

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: