Who are the highest-scoring clubs at the 2026 World Cup? Crystal Palace leapfrog PSG and Messi FC into second
Arsenal took an early lead in terms of World Cup club scorers, but are languishing behind eight clubs – including four Premier League rivals.
We know what representation Premier League clubs have at the 2026 World Cup.
But just as vaguely interesting and largely meaningless a question to answer is which clubs’ players have scored the most goals at the tournament? And it’s funny you should ask really, with Mo Salah flying the flag for Free Agents FC.
Clubs whose players have scored seven goals at the 2026 World Cup
Real Madrid
Vinicius Junior has helped rescue Brazil and Carlo Ancelotti against both Morocco and Haiti. Kylian Mbappe continues to close the gap on that World Cup scoring record, scoring twice against both Senegal and Iraq. And Jude Bellingham joined the party against Croatia.
Clubs whose players have scored six goals at the 2026 World Cup
Crystal Palace
Only five clubs have more players at the World Cup than Crystal Palace, who might not have had Daichi Kamada down as their first and third scorer of that 12-man group. Nor Daniel Munoz as the second and sixth. Ismaila Sarr with goals four and five was a little more predictable.
Clubs whose players have scored five goals at the 2026 World Cup
Inter Miami
Lionel Messi, that. He really is absolutely absurd.
Paris Saint-Germain
The European champions had to wait until the antepenultimate day of the opening round of group games for a goalscorer, but Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye made it all worth it in that wonderful France v Senegal match. Then Joao Neves pulled a weight Cristiano Ronaldo no longer can for Portugal. And Ousmane Dembele rocked up for France against Iraq. As did Nuno Mendes with that clever free-kick for Portugal, even if someone else took the credit.
Clubs whose players have scored four goals at the 2026 World Cup
Bayern Munich
That Jamal Musiala fella seems decent. Harry Kane ain’t bad either. And Luis Diaz…you get the picture.
Liverpool
A Netherlands goal made in Anfield: a wonderful cross by Ryan Gravenberch steered home by the head of Virgil van Dijk. They have never combined to score for the Reds, who the Dutch did a decent impression of against Japan. Then Alexander Isak impressed for Sweden in their demolition of Tunisia. He was less effective against the Dutch, for whom Cody Gakpo scored twice in a similarly crushing win.
Manchester City
It is a stage Erling Haaland has been deprived of, but one he instantly showed he belonged on against Iraq and then Senegal.
Manchester United
He might be “like a child” at club level, but Amad did some grown adulting to inspire Ivory Coast to a last-gasp win over Ecuador. Marcus Rashford is technically still his Old Trafford team-mate. And Matheus Cunha might be the solution to Brazil’s problems.
Clubs whose players have scored three goals at the 2026 World Cup
Al-Nassr
It would have been objectively funny if centre-half Abdulelah Al-Amri had outscored his team-mate after taking an early lead in that race with a goal against Uruguay. But “everyone who loves football” will have adored Cristiano Ronaldo’s double against Uzbekistan.
Arsenal
The quintessential big-game Gunner scored two goals at Euro 2020 and 2024 and the 2022 World Cup in between; Kai Havertz has reached his international tournament quota remarkably early. And Viktor Gyokeres isn’t daft enough to let his team-mate and striker rival pull too far clear.
Juventus
The Old Lady no longer seem to want Jonathan David after a thoroughly disappointing debut season, but Fabrizio Romano’s son sublimely shop-windowed himself with a World Cup hat-trick against Qatar.
Stuttgart
Rarely has an act been gotten in on at the World Cup more emphatically than when Deniz Undav forced the ball past three Curacao defenders on the line after their keeper went walkabout at 5-1 in the 78th minute. His equaliser and subsequent winner against Ivory Coast was slightly more important.
Sunderland
Make that three different World Cups that Granit Xhaka has scored in. And make that Brian Brobbey showing up Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres.
Clubs whose players have scored two goals at the 2026 World Cup
Al-Ahly
Emam Ashour had never scored for Egypt before heading to the World Cup and atoning for that emphatically against Belgium. Former Aston Villa player Trezeguet only added to his Pharoahs legacy with a goal against New Zealand.
Borussia Dortmund
Germany ought to be eternally grateful that Felix Nmecha and Nico Schlotterbeck were concentrating against Curacao, the Dortmund pair scoring either side of a historic first World Cup goal for the constituent island nation.
Brighton
Insert your jokes here about Chelsea spending £100m on muted-celebrating Yasin Ayari in a post-World Cup haze this summer.
Feyenoord
Good day to Hwang In-beom, the first Feyenoord player to score a World Cup goal since Stefan de Vrij for the Netherlands against Spain in 2014. Ayase Ueda followed him soon after with a brace for Japan against Tunisia.
Freiburg
Which Premier League club moves for 20-year-old Johan Manzambi first then? Could well be Arsenal.
Monaco
The only Monaco game all season in which Folarin Balogun scored more than once was the first leg of their Champions League knockout play-off classic with Paris Saint-Germain. But the former Arsenal striker fired the States’ genuinely quite impressive win over Paraguay to take an early lead in the Golden Boot race.
Motherwell
Seven goals and eight assists earned Elijah Just a PFA Scotland Premiership Player of the Year award nomination in his debut season for Motherwell, the momentum from which carried through to a brace against Iran.
Newcastle
With one header against Portugal for DR Congo, Yoane Wissa equalled the Premier League goal haul from his debut Magpies season. Anthony Elanga beat his against Netherlands.
PSV
There was something of the slight Aboubakars about how effortlessly masterfully Ismael Saibari grasped his chance against Brazil. And that corner-dwelling finish against Scotland was particularly satisfying.
Real Sociedad
After an absolute stinker in their opening draw against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal turned up twice for Spain against Saudi Arabia.
Southampton
A rare bit of decent PR for Southampton, whose recent loanee turned permanent signing Cyle Larin handed Canada their first World Cup point. It is unknown if Saints have sent any scouts to the tournament to watch him score again against Qatar.
Sporting
A way past Saudi Arabia keeper Mohammed Al-Owais was eventually discovered by reported Chelsea target Maxi Araujo for Uruguay. His equaliser in the Cape Verde draw was handy, too.
West Ham
For how much longer will Crysencio Summerville be a Hammer? This is not a shop window a forward who admirably refuses to ever play in the Championship again is about to pass up; his strikes against Japan and Sweden ought to help.
Wolves
Ladislav Krejci and Raul Jimenez are yet to become acquainted with one another but both have scored crucial goals for their countries at this World Cup. Not sure if either are aware that their employers are pouring petrol on a raging dumpster fire.
Clubs whose players have scored one goal at the 2026 World Cup
AC Milan
Rafael Leao has expressed his desire to leave Milan this summer, and scoring the goal to make it 5-0 against Uzbekistan puts him in some form of shop window at least.
Al-Ahli
Six non-Saudi Al-Ahli players are at the World Cup; Franck Kessie pips Ivan Toney as their first scorer by virtue of actually playing.
Al-Karma
Two weeks after being detained by US customs and questioned for nearly seven hours upon his arrival in Chicago, Aymen Hussein brought brief but beautiful parity for Iraq against Norway.
Al-Qadsiah
After holding off the Saudi Pro League Golden Boot challenges of both Ivan Toney and Cristiano Ronaldo, Julian Quinones joined the pantheon of players to score the opening goal at a World Cup in Mexico’s win over South Africa.
Al-Sadd
Before the 2022 edition, the only Al-Sadd player to feature at a World Cup was John Utaka for Nigeria two decades prior. Boualem Khoukhi became the first scorer for Qatar’s most successful club with that equaliser against Switzerland.
Al-Sailiya
It was his hat-trick against Oman in qualifying which helped Jordan on their way to a first-ever World Cup, so Ali Olwan was a fitting first scorer for his nation on that stage.
Anderlecht
The not-actual brother of William, Nathan Saliba, scored a lovely a free-kick in Canada’s trouncing of Qatar.
Aston Villa
In the last six weeks or so, John McGinn has scored twice in a Europa League semi-final, assisted a goal in the final, netted in a victory over Liverpool and bagged Scotland’s first World Cup win in his lifetime.
Atlanta United
The MLS side might make their loan of Matias Galarza from River Plate permanent after his second-minute winner against Turkey.
Barcelona
It is a little bit odd that Barcelona had to wait so long for a 2026 World Cup goalscorer, but Lamine Yamal did miss Spain’s first game.
Besiktas
While all six of his previous goals for South Korea came during his time as a Genk player, Oh Hyeon-gyu will always remember his first international goal on the Besiktas books: that late winner against the Czechs to get his country rolling.
Borussia Monchengladbach
This already feels like a slightly better World Cup experience for Giovanni Reyna than the last, when he was dug out by his manager and caught in a mud-slinging contest.
Como
Not a bad finish for Croatia against England from Serie A Rising Star of the Month for January, Martin Baturina.
Eintracht Frankfurt
Can’t fault left-back Nathaniel Brown for venturing into the Curacao area at 4-1 up after 68 minutes to stroke home a sumptuous volley just to feel alive.
Esteghlal
A third World Cup for Ramin Rezaeian, who became the first player in Iran history to score in as many as two separate games at the tournament by adding his goal against New Zealand to a late strike against Wales in 2022.
ETO FC
The Hungarian champions will have enjoyed Nadhir Benbouali‘s equaliser for Algeria against Jordan.
FC Dallas
Petar Musa was overlooked for the Croatia squad when they reached the semis in 2022, but took his chance in the defeat to England four years later.
FC St. Pauli
Having not scored for Kiezkicker in any competition since their promotion to the Bundesliga in 2024, Connor Metcalfe might have been caught off guard by his win-sealing goal for Australia against Turkey.
FC Universitatea Cluj
The 2025/26 Romanian Liga I’s top scorer Jovo Lukic threatened to break some beautiful Canadian hearts for Bosnia in a game which must have really split Asmir Begovic’s loyalties.
Fluminense
Agustin Canobbio spent a couple of year in the international wilderness after falling out with Marcelo Bielsa over the way he sat on a chair during a team meeting, but returned to the fold in plenty of time to score against Cape Verde.
Genk
Overtaking Keisuka Honda as the oldest scorer for Japan at a World Cup was 33-year-old Junya Ito against Tunisia.
Genoa
The first Serie A player to score a goal at the 2026 World Cup was always going to be Norway centre-half Leo Ostigard.
Guadalajara
It was Luis Romo who confirmed that age-old tradition of Mexico reaching the knockouts.
Istanbul Basaksehir
No-one will ever take Uzbekistan’s first World Cup goal away from Abbosbek Fayzullaev.
Krasnodar
Decent hit from Kevin Pina against Uruguay for Cape Verde’s first World Cup goal.
Maccabi Tel Aviv
What a time for Helio Varela to score his first Cape Verde goal in that draw.
Mamelodi Sundowns
That was a big old penalty from Teboho Mokoena against Czechia.
Marseille
The Ligue Un side only sent five players to the World Cup, with Amine Gouiri making it all worthwhile.
Maribor
While he might not be in a rush to remember any other aspect of Tunisia being thrashed by Sweden, former Manchester City and Arsenal youth player Omar Rekik will cherish his first international goal coming on the World Cup stage.
Nordsjaelland
The Right to Dream Academy-Nordsjaelland pathway is inevitable, as Caleb Yirenkyi proved with that stoppage-time winner for Ghana against Panama.
Osasuna
After finishing third in the Pichihi stakes behind Mbappe and Vedat Muriqi with 17 La Liga goals in 2025/26, Ante Budimir knocked Panama out of the World Cup with only his seventh strike for Croatia.
Palmeiras
Ten youth caps with Brazil were handed in when Mauricio switched international allegiance on the eve of the tournament; his reward was the most consolatory of goals in Paraguay’s defeat to the US.
Portland Timbers
Welsh-born centre-half Finn Surman is yet to score for the MLS club he joined in summer 2024, but does have a World Cup goal to his name after his header gave New Zealand a lead they could not protect against Egypt.
Pyramids
The best (Mostafa) Ziko in World Cup history?
Qatar SC
Step forward, Nizar Al-Rashdan, Jordan’s first World Cup goalscorer.
Red Star Belgrade
The most-capped player and highest scorer in Austria national team history deserved his World Cup goal, and in the 12th minute of stoppage time against Jordan it arrived for Marko Arnautovic.
Reims
Just 12 goals to go for Keito Nakamura to match the efforts of fellow Red and White, Just Fontaine, and break one of the unbreakable World Cup records.
Rennes
Breel Embolo‘s fourth World Cup – and fourth different club he has represented at the tournament after Basel in 2014, Schalke in 2018 and Monaco in 2022 – was marked by a fourth consecutive goal at a major continental competition for Switzerland in their Qatar draw.
Rosario Central
Imagine the English Tax that would be placed on the head of Jaminton Campaz if his name was Jamie Camp.
Rostov
After admitting his celebration against New Zealand was “something political”, Mohammad Mohebi quite wisely scaled it back in the doomed hope of letting a lovely headed equaliser do the talking.
Sevilla
It was Ruben Vargas who helped dump holders Italy out of Euro 2024 with a goal and an assist. Bosnia represent a slightly less impressive scalp but still.
Slavia Prague
After missing Euro 2024 with a leg injury sustained when falling off a tricycle, Michal Sadilek would have been thrilled to get back at the wheel against South Africa.
Slovan Liberec
Ermin Mahmic only switched nationalities from Austria on the eve of the tournament, just in time to score a consolation for Bosnia against Switzerland.
Torino
A first international goal for Marcus Holmgren Pedersen helped Norway out against Senegal.
Villarreal
There was fear that Alex Freeman might not make the USMNT squad after swapping regular MLS minutes with Orlando City for more of a bench-based role with Villarreal in January, but his rise was crowned with a goal against Australia.
Watford
It says here that Australia hero Nestory Irankunda never played for Udinese, which must be a mistake.
Werder Bremen
A decent hit from Romano Schmid.
Wolfsburg
The second-fastest goal by a substitute in recorded World Cup history goes to Mattias Svanberg.
Zurich
Some moment for Livano Comenencia.