CR7 Scripts More History! Taking A Look At The Top 10 All-Time Goalscorers In FIFA World Cup Qualifying

Cristiano Ronaldo – 41 goals in 51 appearances
And few could begrudge that accolade going to a player with such drive and relentlessness in the pursuit of greatness. Should Portugal make it to next summer’s finals, it will surely be Ronaldo’s last shot at football’s ultimate prize. (AFP)

Carlos Ruiz – 39 goals in 47 appearances
Nicknamed ‘The Fish’, Ruiz bagged a hugely impressive 39 goals in just 47 World Cup qualifying matches. He twice retired from international football only to return shortly after, and also represented his country at the 2000 Futsal World Championships. (X)

Lionel Messi – 36 goals in 72 appearances
The Inter Miami player, still going strong at 38, has 32 goals and 17 assists across all club competitions this season, and is tied with Norway’s Erling Haaland and Jordan Ayew of Ghana for the most goal involvements in 2026 World Cup qualifying so far with 11. (AFP)

Ali Daei – 35 goals in 51 appearances
For more than a little while, Iran’s Ali Daei topped the list of all-time male goalscorers in international football. In 2004, he became the first male player to reach 100 international goals and remains among the top 50 most capped players. (X)

Robert Lewandowski – 33 goals in 42 appearances
He is the Polish men’s team’s all-time leading goalscorer by some distance, having netted nearly twice as many as the player in second place, and his tally in World Cup qualifying makes for decent reading. (AFP)

Chris Wood (New Zealand) – 29 goals in 31 appearances (AFP)

Sardar Azmoun (Iran) – 29 goals in 41 appearances (X)

Edin Dzeko (Bosnia and Herzegovina) – 29 goals in 42 appearances (AFP)

Luis Suarez (Uruguay) – 29 goals in 64 appearances (AFP)

Karim Bagheri (Iran) – 28 goals in 29 appearances (X)