{"id":1530,"date":"2026-06-09T15:04:36","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T15:04:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=1530"},"modified":"2026-06-09T15:04:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T15:04:36","slug":"these-soccer-stars-have-scored-the-most-goals-in-a-single-fifa-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jacksonvillemovingnews.com\/?p=1530","title":{"rendered":"These soccer stars have scored the most goals in a single FIFA World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It\u2019s one thing to score a significant number of goals within one\u2019s career, or even one season. But it\u2019s a totally different thing to score a lofty amount within one tournament \u2014 especially the FIFA World Cup.<\/p>\n

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For generations, countries from all over the world have put their best foot forward in the quadrennial tournament. Each edition of the tournament, the player who scores the most goals walks away with the Golden Boot.<\/p>\n

Gulliermo Stabile, Just Fontaine and Ronaldo are just a few of the many players who set precedents for goal-scoring in FIFA history.<\/p>\n

Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, let\u2019s take a deeper dive into some of the most decorated goalscorers in history, specifically those who have scored the most within a single iteration of the tournament.<\/p>\n

Who has scored the most goals in a single World Cup?<\/h2>\n

France\u2019s Just Fontaine holds the record for the most goals scored in a single FIFA World Cup.\u00a0<\/p>\n

How many goals did Fontaine score?<\/h2>\n

The French football star scored 13 goals in six matches during a single FIFA World Cup.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Four of these goals came against the World Cup defending champions, West Germany.<\/p>\n

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When did Fontaine solidify this record?<\/h2>\n

Fontaine achieved this record during the 1958 FIFA World Cup, which took place in Sweden.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFormer U.S. Soccer president Alan Rothenberg played a key role in bringing the 1994 FIFA World Cup to the United States and helping launch Major League Soccer.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

Notable goalscoring records in previous World Cups<\/h2>\n

Here are the athletes with the most goals scored in a single World Cup competition:<\/p>\n

Just Fontaine<\/h2>\n

Team: <\/strong>France
World Cup: <\/strong>1958
Goals:<\/strong> 13<\/p>\n

S\u00e1ndor Kocsis\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Team:<\/strong> Hungary
World Cup:<\/strong> 1954
Goals:<\/strong> 11<\/p>\n

Gerd M\u00fcller<\/h2>\n

Team:<\/strong> Germany
World Cup: <\/strong>1970
Goals: <\/strong>10<\/p>\n

Eus\u00e9bio da Silva Ferreira<\/h2>\n

Team: <\/strong>Portugal
World Cup: <\/strong>1966
Goals:<\/strong> 9<\/p>\n

Ademir Marques de Menezes<\/h2>\n

Team:<\/strong> Brazil
World Cup: <\/strong>1950
Goals: <\/strong>9<\/p>\n

Guillermo St\u00e1bile<\/h2>\n

Team: <\/strong>Argentina
World Cup:<\/strong> 1930
Goals:<\/strong> 8<\/p>\n

Ronaldo Lu\u00eds Naz\u00e1rio de Lima\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Team: <\/strong>Brazil
World Cup: <\/strong>2002
Goals:<\/strong> 8<\/p>\n

Kylian Mbapp\u00e9<\/h2>\n

Team: <\/strong>France
World Cup: <\/strong>2022
Goals:<\/strong> 8<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHere are five things to know about Real Madrid star and World Cup winner Kylian Mbapp\u00e9.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

Le\u00f4nidas da Silva<\/h2>\n

Team:<\/strong> Brazil
World Cup:<\/strong> 1938
Goals:<\/strong> 7<\/p>\n

Jair \u201cJairzinho\u201d Ventura Filho<\/h2>\n

Team: <\/strong>Brazil
World Cup: <\/strong>1970
Goals: <\/strong>7<\/p>\n

Grzegorz Lato<\/h2>\n

Team: <\/strong>Poland
World Cup:<\/strong> 1974
Goals:<\/strong> 7<\/p>\n

Lionel Messi<\/h2>\n

Team: <\/strong>Argentina
World Cup:<\/strong> 2022
Goals:<\/strong> 7<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLionel Messi now has his first ever World Cup title at 35 years old to add to his already-stacked resume.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

Were goals easier to score in the past?<\/h2>\n

Considering no one has even come close to Fontaine\u2019s record since 1970, it\u2019s valid to question whether time has anything to do with that.<\/p>\n

When asked whether goals were easier to score back in the 1950s, Fontaine rebuffed.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it wasn’t easier to score in 1958,\u201d Fontaine said, according to The Guardian.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe state of the ball, the length of the trip over and the amateurism of the backroom staff made everything much more complicated than today. I had somebody else’s boots as well. And the last great World Cup scorer, Ronaldo, played against teams such as China and Costa Rica. Above all else, referees protect strikers much more than they did in my day. So let me repeat it: 13 goals is an enormous total. Beating my record? I don’t think it can ever be done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Breaking down the 2026 FIFA World Cup tiebreaker rules<\/a><\/p>\n

Editor’s note:<\/strong>\u00a0The original version of this story was published in 2022.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMLS analyst Taylor Twellman tackles five of the biggest questions ahead of the World Cup, including what defines success for the United States and Mexico, which nation faces the most pressure, and who could emerge as the tournament\u2019s breakout star.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n