The 10 top goalscorers in World Cup qualifying history: Messi third, Ronaldo first… | OneFootball

Qualification for the 2026 World Cup is almost complete, which gives us a chance to look at the players who have shone over the years.

While the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are unsurprising names, there are a few rogue shouts who always seem to deliver for their nations.

Here are the top 10 goalscorers in World Cup qualifiers history.

10. Karim Bagheri – 28 goals in 29 games

In a list that includes Messi and Ronaldo, it is Iran’s Bagheri who has the best goal-to-game ratio, with the midfielder being one goal shy of a 1:1 record in qualifiers.

Bagheri certainly started well as he scored seven, yes seven, times during Iran’s 17-0 win over the Maldives, all while playing from a defensive midfield spot, back in 1997 and he went on to score 18 times as Iran made it to the 1998 World Cup.

In 2000, he was back to his old ways with six goals during Iran’s 19-0 win over Guam but he then went six games without a goal before scoring in both legs of his country’s qualifying round win over the UAE.

Bagheri’s final goal came against the same opponents in 2008 but Iran missed out on the 2010 tournament.

9. Sardar Azmoun – 29 goals in 41 games

Another Iranian on the list is centre forward Azmoun, who has 29 goals in 41 World Cup qualifiers.

He began his international career with four goals in three games as Iran breezed through their 2018 World Cup qualifying and he has been finding the back of the net consistently ever since.

For the 2026 World Cup, Azmoun scored eight times and still only 30, he has plenty of years to move further up this list.

8. Chris Wood – 29 goals in 31 games

For a country that is obsessed with rugby, having a player reach the Premier League is one thing, but Wood’s remarkable 20 Premier League goals last season made him a national hero.

If that wasn’t enough, his exploits with the national team have also made him a household favourite as he has scored 29 goals in his 31 qualifying matches.

Most recently, he scored nine times to book New Zealand’s spot at the 2026 tournament.

7. Luis Suarez – 29 goals in 64 games

Liverpool and Barcelona legend Suarez’s most-famous World Cup moment was undoubtedly that handball against Ghana but he certainly loved a goal in qualifiers too.

Suarez featured 64 times in World Cup qualifiers, scoring 29 times and opened his account with a goal against Bolivia back in 2007.

In 2011, he scored four against Chile and his last goal came against the same opponents in 2022.

6. Edin Dzeko – 30 goals in 33 games

Former Manchester City striker Dzeko has been leading the line for Bosnia-Herzegovina for 18 years and even at the age of 39, his country will hope he can play some part in their crucial knockout playoff.

Before then, Dzeko has found the back of the net on 30 occasions in his 44-game run starting with two back in 2008 as part of a 7-0 win over Estonia.

His most recent goal came against Romania as Bosnia won 3-1.

5. Robert Lewandowski – 34 goals in 44 games

Another talismanic striker comes in the form of Lewandowski who is by far and away the top scorer in Poland’s history.

The current Barcelona striker is on 88 goals, 22 more than second place, and has 34 in World Cup qualifiers.

4. Ali Daei – 35 goals in 51 games

The third Iranian on this list is forward Ali Daei who scored 110 goals in his 152 games for his country.

While that record has since been taken by Ronaldo, Daei’s goals in World Cup qualifiers are still good enough for fourth on this list.

In 51 matches, he scored 35 times and his best was four against Laos in 2004.

However, that goalscoring did not translate to the finals with Daei failing to score in his five World Cup games.

3. Lionel Messi – 36 goals in 72 games

Messi completed his football checklist at the 2022 World Cup as he lifted the famous trophy and he more than played his part in getting Argentina there.

In his 72 qualifiers, Messi has 36 goals – along with 14 assists – and has been the driving force behind his country for two decades.

The former Barcelona star has three hat-tricks – against Ecuador and Bolivia twice – and 2026 will be his sixth World Cup.

At the competition proper, Messi has scored 13 goals in 26 games, including two in the 2022 final against France.

Comparing Messi and Ronaldo’s stats over their last 100 international appearances

2. Carlos Ruiz – 39 goals in 47 games

It would be easy to suggest that Carlos Ruiz’s numbers are so high because Guatemala play against weaker opponents but when you see who he has scored against, you realise that is not entirely true.

While they may not be world football heavyweights, Ruiz has scored against the likes of Canada, Costa Rica and the US over an international career that lasted 16 years.

As with any nation, there were some minnows on the way including five against St Vincent in his finals qualifier but a record of 39 in 47 is nothing to be sniffed at.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo – 41 goals in 52 games

Ronaldo opened his account at the very first attempt as he scored in Portugal’s 2-0 win against Latvia all the way back in 2004. Proving it was no fluke, Ronaldo netted in four of his first five World Cup qualifiers and by the end of the process for the 2006 tournament, he was on seven goals.

Qualification for 2010 was his worst run in a Portugal shirt as he failed to score but he was back to his old ways for 2014, scoring against Luxembourg in their first game and then a hat-trick against Northern Ireland.

That tournament also set up an Ibrahimovic v Ronaldo playoff but it was the latter who triumphed, scoring one in the home leg before a hat-trick in Sweden sent Portugal through.

Qualifying for 2018 was Ronaldo’s best with 15 goals and he hit six for the 2022 tournament.

This time round, Ronaldo has scored five goals but his most memorable moment was his red card against Ireland.

In the World Cup proper, Ronaldo has scored eight goals in 22 games but has never scored in a knockout round.