Often hailed as one of the most prestigious and prominent football tournaments in the world, the FIFA World Cup is followed by millions of hardcore football aficionados from every nook and corner of the world. The glorious history of the FIFA World Cup which spans over decades has been a witness to numerous legendary football stalwarts including Cristiano Ronaldo, Pelé, Lionel Messi and many others who have left the opponents stunned with their unmatched and downright ruthless exploits on the field and have successfully led their teams to a phenomenal streak of victories.
While scoring a goal for their respective teams in the FIFA World Cup is often hailed as one of the most coveted and decorated achievements for a majority of international footballers out there, a few iconic football stalwarts have managed to score multiple goals for their squads in the tournament. Have you ever wondered about the top four football players who have smashed the highest number of goals in the World Cup as of February 2026? Well, let’s find out.
In this article we will take a look at the top four footballers who have scored the highest number of goals in the history of the FIFA World Cup as of February 2026.
Top 4 Footballers With Most Goals in FIFA World Cup
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Miroslav Klose, Germany – 16 Goals
The 47 years old German professional football player Miroslav Klose is at the first spot in our list of the top four footballers who have scored the highest number of goals in the FIFA World Cup as of February 2026. Often hailed as one of the greatest strikers in the history of the game and an all-time top goalscorer for the German national football team, Miroslav Klose played a total of World Cup editions in the years 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014.
The sensational and legendary German striker scored a record total of sixteen goals including five goals at the 2002 FIFA edition, five goals in the 2006 edition, four goals in 2010 edition and the remaining two goals in his career’s final FIFA edition which he played in 2014. As of February 2026, Miroslav Klose continues to be the all-time highest goalscorer in the history of the World Cup with a record total of sixteen goals.
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Ronaldo, Brazil – 15 Goals
At the second spot in our list of the top four footballers who have scored the highest number of goals in the history of FIFA World Cup as of February 2026 we have the Brazilian former professional footballer Ronaldo who played as a striker throughout his glorious international career which spanned from 1994 to 2011.
Often regarded as one of the most influential strikers of all-time, Ronaldo played a total of four FIFA editions and appeared in a record total of fourteen matches. Throughout his star-studded career, Ronaldo scored a record total of fifteen goals at the World Cup including four goals in the 1998 FIFA edition, eight goals in the 2002 edition and the remaining three goals in the 2006 edition. As of February 2026, Ronaldo continues to be the second highest goals scorer in the history of the World Cup with a phenomenal total of fifteen goals.
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Gerd Muller, West Germany – 14 Goals
Next, at the third spot in our list of the top four footballers who have scored the highest number of goals in the FIFA World Cup as of February 2026 we have the legendary German professional football player Gerd Müller who is widely regarded as one of the greatest goalscorers and players in the history of the game.
As of February 2026, Gerd Müller continues to be one of the only ten footballers who have successfully clinched the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the Ballon d’Or. Throughout his glorious professional football career, Gerd Müller played only two editions of the World Cup in the years 1970 and 1974 and scored a spine-chilling total of fourteen goals including ten goals in 1970 and the remaining four goals in 1974. With a record total of fourteen goals, Gerd Müller continues to be the third-highest goalscorer in the history of FIFA.
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Just Fontaine, France – 13 Goals
Finally, at the fourth spot in our list of the top four footballers who have scored the highest number of goals in the history of FIFA World Cup as of February 2026 we have the trailblazing French professional football player Just Fontaine who played as a striker for the French national football team throughout his star-studded international career which spanned from 1953 to 1960.
Often hailed as one of the greatest strikers in the history of the FIFA, Just Fontaine played just one edition of the World Cup in 1958 and appeared in a total of six matches. The legendary French striker Just Fontaine undoubtedly dominated the opponent teams and reigned supreme throughout the 1958 FIFA and scored a phenomenal total of thirteen goals in a single edition of the World Cup which continues to be the fourth-highest aggregate as of February 2026 ranking him at the fourth spot in our list.
