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The biggest FIFA World Cup in history means there are more national records up for grabs on soccer's grandest stage than ever before.
Modern fitness and recovery techniques mean stars such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric are back at the 2026 tournament ready to compete at a time when their predecessors would probably have retired.
Each of those players holds their country's all-time appearance record. Messi and Ronaldo are Argentina and Portugal's respective all-time top goalscorers, while Ronaldo has scored more international goals than any other international player in history.
As the table below demonstrates, plenty of the all-time leading scorers from the countries at this World Cup are still active players, while other greats of the past are vulnerable to being passed by the stars of today.
MORE: Ranking the 11 greatest FIFA World Cup tournaments by an individual player
Top goal-scorers for every World Cup team
Goals and caps correct as of June 23, 2026.
*Denotes playing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
| Nation | Top scorer | Goals | Caps |
| Algeria | Islam Slimani | 45 | 104 |
| Argentina | Lionel Messi* | 122 | 201 |
| Australia | Tim Cahill | 50 | 108 |
| Austria | Marko Arnautovic* | 48 | 135 |
| Belgium | Romelu Lukaku* | 90 | 127 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Edin Dzeko* | 73 | 149 |
| Brazil | Neymar* | 79 | 128 |
| Canada | Jonathan David* | 42 | 79 |
| Cape Verde | Ryan Mendes* | 22 | 100 |
| Colombia | Radamel Falcao | 36 | 104 |
| Croatia | Davor Suker | 45 | 68 |
| Curacao | Rangelo Janga | 21 | 43 |
| Czechia | Jan Koller | 55 | 91 |
| DR Congo | Dieumerci Mbokani | 22 | 49 |
| Ecuador | Enner Valencia* | 49 | 107 |
| Egypt | Hossam Hassan | 69 | 177 |
| England | Harry Kane* | 81 | 115 |
| France | Kylian Mbappe* | 60 | 100 |
| Germany | Miroslav Klose | 71 | 137 |
| Ghana | Asamoah Gyan | 51 | 109 |
| Haiti | Duckens Nazon* | 44 | 82 |
| Iran | Ali Daei | 108 | 148 |
| Iraq | Hussein Saeed | 78 | 137 |
| Ivory Coast | Didier Drogba | 65 | 105 |
| Japan | Kunishige Kamamoto | 75 | 76 |
| Jordan | Hamza Al-Dardour | 34 | 122 |
| Mexico | Javier Hernandez | 52 | 109 |
| Morocco | Ahmed Faras | 36 | 94 |
| Netherlands | Memphis Depay * | 55 | 111 |
| New Zealand | Chris Wood* | 45 | 92 |
| Norway | Erling Haaland* | 59 | 52 |
| Panama | Luis Tejada | 43 | 108 |
| Paraguay | Roque Santa Cruz | 32 | 112 |
| Portugal | Cristiano Ronaldo* | 143 | 229 |
| Qatar | Almoez Ali* | 60 | 128 |
| Saudi Arabia | Majed Abdullah | 72 | 117 |
| Scotland | Kenny Dalglish/Denis Law | 30 | 102/55 |
| Senegal | Sadio Mane* | 55 | 130 |
| South Africa | Benni McCarthy | 31 | 79 |
| South Korea | Cha Bum-kun | 58 | 136 |
| Spain | David Villa | 59 | 98 |
| Sweden | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | 62 | 122 |
| Switzerland | Alexander Frei | 42 | 84 |
| Tunisia | Issam Jemaa | 36 | 84 |
| Turkey | Hakan Sukur | 51 | 112 |
| United States | Clint Dempsey/Landon Donovan | 57 | 141/157 |
| Uruguay | Luis Suarez | 69 | 143 |
| Uzbekistan | Eidor Shomurodov* | 44 | 93 |
The first new entrant to this list during the 2026 World Cup was Kylian Mbappe, whose brilliant double in France's Group I opener against Senegal saw him usurp Olivier Giroud as his country's top scorer.
Mbappe is now the third-highest World Cup goalscorer of all time on 14, level with Gerd Muller and just two shy of Miroslav Klose at the top of the standings.
Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min have carried the Egypt and South Korea national teams their backs during their incredible careers. Each man is two shy of their country's all-time record goalscorer.
Egypt's Hossam Hassan is Salah's head coach at the 2026 World Cup.
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