Golden Boot

FIFA World Cup top scorers

Miroslav Klose's record of 16 goals, spread across four tournaments, has stood since 2014. Just Fontaine's 13 goals in a single tournament (1958) may never be equalled.

TOP 6 ALL-TIME SCORERS

1
Germany
Miroslav Klose
Germany — 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014
Scored in 4 tournaments. Broke Ronaldo's record with his 16th goal vs Brazil in the 2014 semi-final — the famous 7–1.
16goals
2
Brazil
Ronaldo
Brazil — 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006
Won the Golden Boot in 2002 with 8 goals. His tournament-winning 2002 performance, after career-threatening convulsions in 1998, is one of sport's great comebacks.
15goals
3
Germany
Gerd Müller
Germany — 1970, 1974
'Der Bomber' scored 10 goals in 1970 alone — including the winner in the semi-final and the 3–2 comeback winner in the final against Netherlands in 1974.
14goals
4
France
Just Fontaine
France — 1958
13 goals in one tournament — France 1958 — remains the all-time single-tournament record. Fontaine scored in every game including two in the bronze match.
13goals
5
Brazil
Pelé
Brazil — 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970
The only player to win 3 World Cups. Scored a brace in the 1958 final aged 17. Missed most of 1962 through injury but Brazil won anyway. Retired after 1970 as a 3-time world champion.
12goals
6
Germany
Jürgen Klinsmann
Germany — 1990, 1994, 1998
Germany's figurehead across three tournaments. Particularly sharp in 1994 with 5 goals when Germany were eliminated in the quarter-final by Bulgaria.
11goals

ALL-TIME TOP 12 SCORERS

FIFA World Cup all-time top scorers — complete rankings
#PlayerNationGoalsEditionsNotes
1Germany Miroslav KloseGermany162002, 2006, 2010, 2014Scored in 4 tournaments. Broke Ronaldo's record with his 16th goal vs Brazil in the 2014 semi-final — the famous 7–1.
2Brazil RonaldoBrazil151994, 1998, 2002, 2006Won the Golden Boot in 2002 with 8 goals. His tournament-winning 2002 performance, after career-threatening convulsions in 1998, is one of sport's great comebacks.
3Germany Gerd MüllerGermany141970, 1974'Der Bomber' scored 10 goals in 1970 alone — including the winner in the semi-final and the 3–2 comeback winner in the final against Netherlands in 1974.
4France Just FontaineFrance13195813 goals in one tournament — France 1958 — remains the all-time single-tournament record. Fontaine scored in every game including two in the bronze match.
5Brazil PeléBrazil121958, 1962, 1966, 1970The only player to win 3 World Cups. Scored a brace in the 1958 final aged 17. Missed most of 1962 through injury but Brazil won anyway. Retired after 1970 as a 3-time world champion.
6Germany Jürgen KlinsmannGermany111990, 1994, 1998Germany's figurehead across three tournaments. Particularly sharp in 1994 with 5 goals when Germany were eliminated in the quarter-final by Bulgaria.
7Hungary Sándor KocsisHungary11195411 goals in the 1954 tournament — including 2 hat-tricks. Hungary lost the 1954 final 3–2 to West Germany having beaten them 8–3 in the group stage in one of the greatest upsets ever.
8Argentina Gabriel BatistutaArgentina101994, 1998, 2002'Batigol' scored a hat-trick vs Greece in 1994 and remains Argentina's World Cup scoring icon. One of only 3 players to score hat-tricks in two different World Cups.
9England Gary LinekerEngland101986, 1990Won the 1986 Golden Boot with 6 goals including a hat-trick vs Poland. Missed a late semi-final penalty in 1990 vs West Germany that would have brought England their first final since 1966.
10Peru Teófilo CubillasPeru101970, 1978, 1982Scored 5 goals in 1970 and 5 in 1978. Two spectacular free kicks against Scotland in 1978 are among the most technically brilliant World Cup goals ever scored.
11Poland Grzegorz LatoPoland101974, 1978, 1982Poland's 1974 Golden Boot winner with 7 goals. Poland finished third — arguably the most underrated World Cup performance in history. Beaten only by Brazil and West Germany.
12Germany Thomas MüllerGermany102010, 2014, 2018Won the Golden Boot in 2010 (5 goals) and scored 5 in 2014 to help Germany win. His total reaches 10 — making Germany the dominant nation for producing all-time top scorers.

Goals comparison — top 6

Klose16
Ronaldo15
G.Müller14
Fontaine13
Pelé12
Klinsmann11

GOLDEN BOOT — ALL WINNERS 1930–2022

FIFA World Cup Golden Boot (top scorer) award winners 1930–2022
YearPlayerNationGoals
1930Uruguay Guillermo StábileUruguay8
1934Czechoslovakia Oldřich NejedlýCzechoslovakia5
1938Brazil LeônidasBrazil7
1950Brazil AdemirBrazil8
1954Hungary Sándor KocsisHungary11
1958France Just FontaineFrance13
1962— Multiple players—4
1966Portugal EusébioPortugal9
1970Germany Gerd MüllerGermany10
1974Poland Grzegorz LatoPoland7
1978Argentina Mario KempesArgentina6
1982Italy Paolo RossiItaly6
1986England Gary LinekerEngland6
1990Italy Salvatore SchillaciItaly6
1994Russia Oleg SalenkoRussia6
1998Croatia Davor ŠukerCroatia6
2002Brazil RonaldoBrazil8
2006Germany Miroslav KloseGermany5
2010Germany Thomas MüllerGermany5
2014Colombia James RodríguezColombia6
2018England Harry KaneEngland6
2022France Kylian MbappéFrance8

Miroslav Klose and the World Cup scoring record

Klose's 16 goals came across 4 different tournaments and required 24 individual appearances. What makes the record remarkable: he scored 5 in 2002 as an unknown wide forward, 5 in 2006 as a striker on home soil, 4 in 2010 including crucial knockout-stage goals, and the clinching 16th in Germany's 7–1 demolition of Brazil in 2014. The record may stand for decades.

Germany dominates the all-time scoring list — 4 of the top 12 players are German (Klose, G.Müller, Klinsmann, T.Müller). Explore all World Cup records or read the complete tournament history for context. See our World Cup all-time top scorers.

📊 Records 🏆 Champions 📖 History 🇨🇦 Canada 2026

The 2026 FIFA World Cup marks the first edition with 48 national teams competing across 16 cities in Canada, the United States and Mexico. With 104 matches scheduled from June 11 to July 19, 2026, this tournament sets a new record for the largest World Cup in history. Three host nations competing simultaneously creates a cross-border sporting event unlike anything football has seen before. BC Place in Vancouver, BMO Field in Toronto and the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City are among the most iconic venues on the roster.

Canada's inclusion as a host nation adds particular significance for North American football. The Canadian men's national team qualified for a World Cup for the first time since 1986, and the home advantage in 2026 is expected to draw record crowds at BC Place and BMO Field. Alphonso Davies remains the most recognized face of Canadian football internationally, having established himself at Bayern Munich before his move to Real Madrid in 2025.

Group stage matches are distributed across all three host countries, with knockout rounds moving progressively toward the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which is set to host the final on July 19, 2026. Capacity: 82,500. The United States will host the majority of matches, 60 out of 104, including all matches from the quarterfinals onward. FIFA confirmed the full match schedule in February 2025 following the completion of the draw in Miami.

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