Mbappé: First to score 10 in a tournament since Gerd Müller
Just Fontaine’s “unbreakable” record of 13 goals in a single World Cup remained intact after the 2026 tournament. However, a hero finally emerged who reached the double-digit goal mark (Kylian Mbappé, 10)—a feat not seen since 1970 (Gerd Müller).
Mbappé became the first player in World Cup history to finish as top scorer twice (2022, 2026) and the first to score 8 or more goals in two separate tournaments.
The 2026 tournament produced a record number of players scoring 7 or more goals—four in total (the previous high was two, in 1970 and 2022).
| WORLD CUP | MOST | GOALS | IN | ONE EDITION | |
| Player | Goals | Games | Edition | Country | |
| 1 | Just Fontaine | 13 | 6 | 1958 | France |
| 2 | Sándor Kocsis | 11 | 5 | 1954 | Hungary |
| 3 | Gerd Müller | 10 | 6 | 1970 | Germany |
| 4 | Kylian Mbappé | 10 | 8 | 2026 | France |
| 5 | Ademir | 9 | 6 | 1950 | Brazil |
| 6 | Eusébio | 9 | 6 | 1966 | Portugal |
| 7 | Guillermo Stabile | 8 | 4 | 1930 | Argentina |
| 8 | Ronaldo | 8 | 7 | 2002 | Brazil |
| 9 | Kylian Mbappé | 8 | 7 | 2022 | France |
| 10 | Lionel Messi | 8 | 8 | 2026 | Argentina |
| 11 | Leônidas | 7 | 5 | 1938 | Brazil |
| 12 | Erling Haaland | 7 | 5 | 2026 | Norway |
| 13 | Jairzinho | 7 | 6 | 1970 | Brazil |
| 14 | Grzegorz Lato | 7 | 7 | 1974 | Poland |
| 15 | Lionel Messi | 7 | 7 | 2022 | Argentina |
| 16 | Jude Bellingham | 7 | 8 | 2026 | England |