At the 2026 World Cup, five players have already scored four or more goals each, prompting the question — how many more will they need to break the all-time record?

The 2026 edition has been a goal-laden tournament. Truly, there have been goals galore.

Given the expanded format, that outcome was somewhat anticipated. Yet, the frequency of braces and hat-tricks across Canada, Mexico, and the United States has been remarkable.

So, what exactly is the record for the most goals scored by an individual in a single World Cup?

Lionel Messi recently became the overall top scorer in World Cup history. His tally of 18 goals spans five tournaments, featuring seven in 2022 and five so far in 2026, including a brace against Austria. However, he narrowly misses inclusion on this particular list.

That brings us to the question — who exactly makes this prestigious list?

In the inaugural World Cup, Guillermo Stabile was the standout performer. After drawing a blank in Argentina’s opening fixture, he netted in every subsequent match up to the final. His goal in the final proved only a consolation as Argentina were beaten by hosts Uruguay. Remarkably, Stabile’s name remains on this list nearly a century later.

Ronaldo Nazario, a man who thrived on football’s biggest stages, illuminated the 2002 World Cup. He scored in every game except the quarter-final against England — a match still etched in fans’ memories — and was unlucky not to claim Player of the Tournament honours. His brace in the final secured Brazil their fifth World Cup crown.

Kylian Mbappe has already established himself as a World Cup icon. In 2018, he became only the second teenager ever to score in a World Cup final, and in 2022, the second player in history to net a hat-trick in a final. That performance brought his tournament total to eight goals. With five of those coming before the final, his display in the decider remains one of the greatest ever seen. In the 2026 tournament, Mbappe has already reached half that tally in just three matches, with up to five more games ahead if France progress to the final — giving him every chance to surpass his previous mark.

Ademir starred in Brazil’s home World Cup, playing alongside legends like Zizinho and Jair. He scored in the first competitive match ever held at the iconic Maracana Stadium — ranked second in FourFourTwo’s list of the world’s best football venues — during the opening game against Mexico. Despite his brilliance, Brazil fell short of the title. The 1950 World Cup was both his first and last appearance on the global stage.

Eusebio, once Portugal’s all-time top World Cup scorer, netted nine goals in the 1966 tournament held in England — the only goals he scored at the competition. His performances propelled him to global stardom. Although Cristiano Ronaldo later surpassed his total with a brace against Uzbekistan, Ronaldo’s goals came across six different tournaments, whereas Eusebio managed his entire haul in a single campaign.

Gerd Muller, a classic goal poacher, was always destined to feature among the top scorers. In 1970, he recorded two hat-tricks en route to a 10-goal tally in Mexico. Muller’s prolific record for West Germany — 68 goals in 62 matches — remains legendary.

Few remember Hungary’s golden era of the 1950s, when the team went on a stunning 32-match unbeaten run that ended only in the 1954 World Cup final against West Germany. Sandor Kocsis was a key figure in that side, scoring 11 times in Switzerland. Every match in which he scored included multiple goals, including an extraordinary four-goal performance against eventual champions West Germany in the group stage.

Just Fontaine, who featured in only one World Cup, was until recently the joint fourth-highest scorer in tournament history. In 1958, he produced an astonishing 13 goals in a single campaign, including a hat-trick and a four-goal burst in the third-place play-off. Even more impressively, his first match at that World Cup was only his third appearance for France. He would go on to play just 21 times for Les Bleus, scoring 30 goals in total — a remarkable strike rate that cements his place in footballing history.