The FIFA World Cup is a stage where legends are made. Over the years, the likes of Pele, Diego Maradona, and, most recently, the iconic Lionel Messi, have all made the tournament their own, scoring goals and delivering blockbuster performances as they led their countries to the crown.
This summer will be no different. The 2026 World Cup gets underway in Mexico City on June 11th as co-hosts Mexico host South Africa at the Estadio Azteca. And four months out from the action getting underway, online betting sites already have clear favorites in mind.
The latest odds from the popular Lucky Rebel Sportsbook currently make Spain the short-priced 9/2 favorites to claim the trophy, with the team they vanquished in the Euro 2024 final, England, just behind at 11/2. If either of them is to live up to the billing, they will need a superstar striker able to fire the goals to propel them to the title.
Miroslav Klose’s Record
Iconic Germany striker Miroslav Klose is the current all-time top scorer. The former Bayern Munich man netted 16 goals in 24 appearances across four separate tournaments, famously scoring the record-breaking goal in that 7-1 semifinal drubbing of hosts Brazil in 2014. Die Mannschaft would go on to lift the trophy one game later, beating Messi’s Argentina in the Rio de Janeiro final, courtesy of Mario Gotze’s extra-time winner.
Fast forward to 2026, and a number of the game’s current superstars are on the hunt for Klose’s record. But which of them has a genuine opportunity of breaking it in North America this summer? Let’s take a look.
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi, along with old sparring partner Cristiano Ronaldo, will make history this summer as he appears at a record sixth World Cup, and he will do so as a reigning champion. The little magician rolled back the years at Qatar 2022, scoring seven goals at the ripe old age of 36 as he helped his beloved Argentina lift the trophy for the first time since the days of Diego Maradona.
That triumph was Messi’s first World Cup victory of his storied career, and for many, it cemented his legacy as the greatest player to have ever graced the beautiful game. Now, four years later, the question is, does Messi still have the gas in the tank required to lead the Albiceleste to a second straight trophy? He’ll be 39 by the time the tournament concludes, but if qualifying is anything to go by, he remains as brilliant as ever.
Messi top-scored in South American qualifying with eight goals, and if he can continue that form into the tournament itself, he stands a very real chance of breaking Klose’s record. Messi currently has 13 World Cup goals to his name, just three behind the German record holder. With an additional round – the round of 32 – being played in North America, Messi will certainly have the opportunity to net the goals required to claim the record. Now the question is whether he still has that same goal-scoring ability aged 39 as he did in Qatar. World Cup experts will certainly be watching and waiting to find out.
Kylian Mbappe
While Messi heads to his sixth World Cup this summer, French hitman Kylian Mbappe heads to just his third tournament. However, his form throughout his first two forays onto football’s grandest stage has been scintillating, and he is already just one goal behind Messi, despite having played 12 games fewer.
France’s captain has racked up a mighty 12 goals in just 14 World Cup games, and he will almost certainly break Klose’s record. Whether that is this year or in four years, however, remains to be seen. The Real Madrid man netted four goals on his tournament debut as a teenager back in 2018, goals that led Les Bleus to the trophy with a resounding 4-2 victory against Croatia in Moscow.
Fast forward four years, and he was even more devastating, netting eight goals in seven games, including a hat trick in the final against Messi’s Argentina. Those exploits handed Mbappe the golden boot and made him the record scorer in World Cup finals, but it wasn’t enough to stop Messi’s date with destiny. Now, the former Paris Saint-Germain man aims for a history of his own.
Five goals this summer would hand Mbappe the outright World Cup goalscoring record, and the record would be claimed in one fewer tournament than Klose managed. If his current form is anything to go by, we wouldn’t bet against him. Mbappe has a whopping 38 goals in just 31 games for Real Madrid so far this term, and similar displays in North America would surely secure him the record.
Harry Kane
England captain Harry Kane is quite a few goals off the leading pair, but if his prolific Bayern Munich form carries on in a Three Lions shirt, he too could have an outside shot at claiming the record. Thomas Tuchel’s skipper has eight World Cup goals to his name, with six of them coming in the run to the semifinals in 2018. He followed that up with two goals in Qatar as the English bowed out in the quarterfinals, but if they are to claim the trophy, as many in England are expecting, Kane could well bag the eight goals required to match the record.
