FULL LIST: Kylian Mbappé Leads As Players With 5 Or More Goals In FIFA World Cup Knockout History Emerged
France captain Kylian Mbappé has become the highest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup knockout history after taking his tally to 10 goals during the ongoing 2026 tournament.
The milestone came after the 27-year-old scored twice in France’s 3-0 win over Sweden in the Round of 32 on June 30, moving clear at the top of the all-time rankings released by FIFA.
The latest update follows the completion of the Round of 32, with the Round of 16 getting under way at 6 p.m. later today, July 4, with Canada vs Morocco clash.
Mbappé has reached his 10-goal haul in just nine knockout matches, giving him an average of 1.11 goals per game. That is the best scoring rate among the active players on the list.
Argentina captain Lionel Messi also improved his record after finding the net in his country’s dramatic 3-2 extra-time win over Cape Verde on Friday. The goal took Messi to six knockout-stage goals, placing him alongside four other football greats.
According to FIFA, only 20 players in World Cup history have scored at least five goals in knockout matches.
FIFA World Cup knockout-stage top scorers
1. Kylian Mbappé (France) 10 goals in 9 knockout games
2. Leonidas (Brazil) 8 goals in 5 knockout games
3. Ronaldo (Brazil) 8 goals in 10 knockout games
4. Just Fontaine (France) 7 goals in 3 knockout games
5. Vavá (Brazil) 7 goals in 5 knockout games
6. Oldřich Nejedlý (Czechoslovakia) 7 goals in 6 knockout games
7. Pelé (Brazil) 7 goals in 6 knockout games
8. Eusébio (Portugal) 6 goals in 3 knockout games
9. György Sárosi (Hungary) 6 goals in 5 knockout games
10. Gary Lineker (England) 6 goals in 6 knockout games
11. Roberto Baggio (Italy) 6 goals in 9 knockout games
12. Lionel Messi (Argentina) 6 goals in 13 knockout games
13. Silvio Piola (Italy) 5 goals in 4 knockout games
14. Gyula Zsengellér (Hungary) 5 goals in 4 knockout games
15. Helmut Rahn (West Germany) 5 goals in 6 knockout games
16. Harry Kane (England) 5 goals in 7 knockout games
17. Thomas Müller (Germany) 5 goals in 7 knockout games
18. Zinedine Zidane (France) 5 goals in 7 knockout games
19. Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands) 5 goals in 8 knockout games
20. Miroslav Klose (Germany) 5 goals in 14 knockout games
FIFA said records from different eras should be viewed in their proper context because the structure of the World Cup has changed considerably over the decades.
The governing body pointed out that the 1934 and 1938 tournaments were played entirely as knockout competitions, while the 1950 edition had no knockout stage. It also noted that the 1930, 1974, 1978 and 1982 tournaments featured far fewer knockout matches than the expanded format used today.
