Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletterWorld Cup 2026 is the biggest World Cup in history but its sheer size alone doesn't explain away one of the most fascinating Golden Boot races the competition has ever produced.The last four teams left standing will each play eight matches in the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer, plenty of time for the planet's top scoring machines to pile up the goals.Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe both going past Miroslav Klose's record tally of career World Cup goals has added a layer to the tangle between former Paris Saint-Germain teammates and others for this year's Golden Boot.Who is the record scorer in a single World Cup?Messi scored six goals in Argentina's first three matches, before adding another in the Round of 32 tie with Cape Verde, taking his career total of World Cup goals to 20, four more than Klose's previous record. Mbappe has six goals in four games for France and now has 18 overall.It's hard to imagine Mbappe not capitalising on his better goals-per-game record and likely involvement at World Cup 2030 to snatch the record from the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner but the single-tournament record is, probably, out of reach. You may like The Most goals scored by a player at a single World Cup World Cup 2026 Golden Boot power rankings: Can Lionel Messi top the scoring charts? All-time World Cup top scorers The highest number of goals scored at a single World Cup is 13, a total sensationally achieved in six matches by Just Fontaine in Sweden in 1958.France were beaten by Brazil in the semi-final but Fontaine scored more than twice as many goals as any other player. Brazil's Pele and Helmut Rahn of West Germany were next in line with six each.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.The Morocco-born striker was rattling along at around a goal per game when he joined the French squad at his only World Cup and started the finals with a hat-trick in their 7-3 group stage victory over Paraguay.He scored twice more in a defeat to Yugoslavia and once, crucially, in the final group game against Scotland.Fontaine's seventh and eighth goals came against Northern Ireland in the quarter-finals, with one more in the semi-finals against Brazil. What to read next Mbappe World Cup goals: How many does the Frenchman need to overtake Lionel Messi? World Cup Golden Boot race: Who is the tournament's top scorer Why is Kylian Mbappe always so good at the World Cup? He etched his name into history by scoring four times in the unwanted third-place play-off match, which France won 6-3 against West Germany in Gothenburg.Inspired by Pele, Brazil went on to win the final. Fontaine's four-goal haul a day earlier might have turned an incredible goalscoring record into an unassailable one.Fontaine is not the only player to have reached double figures at the World Cup.Hungary's Mighty Magyars reached the final in Switzerland in 1954, losing to West Germany in the famous Miracle of Bern final.Sandor Kocsis, who scored both of their extra-time goals in the semi-final against Uruguay, ended the tournament with 11 goals. He played in one match fewer than Fontaine.West Germany's legendary striker Gerd Muller scored 10 goals at the World Cup in 1970. His tally did not include any goals in the third-place play-off in Mexico.TOPICSLionel MessiKylian MbappeJust FontaineFranceArgentinaWorld CupWorld Cup 2026Chris NeeChris is a Warwickshire-based freelance football writer specialising in West Midlands football, the Premier League, the EFL and the J.League. He is the author of the High Protein Beef Paste football newsletter and owner of Aston Villa Review. He supports Coventry Sphinx.
