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The brace took Kane’s tally to 13 FIFA World Cup goals. Kane has now scored one more goal than Brazilian legend Pelé in football’s biggest tournament.
Harry Kane overtakes Pele in list of players with most goals in FIFA World Cup. (Picture Credit: AP)
Harry Kane scored twice in the second half on Wednesday (July 1) to help England secure a 2-1 comeback victory over DR Congo in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32. At Atlanta Stadium, the Bayern Munich striker equalised for the Three Lions in the 75th minute before scoring the winner in the 86th minute.
The brace took Kane’s tally to 13 FIFA World Cup goals. Playing in his third FIFA World Cup for England, Kane has now scored one more goal than Brazilian legend Pelé in football’s biggest tournament.
Pelé represented Brazil in four FIFA World Cup editions and scored 12 goals, while Kane has now found the net 13 times in just 15 World Cup appearances for England.
Most goals in FIFA World Cup
| RANK | PLAYER | COUNTRY | GOALS | MATCHES | EDITIONS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 19 | 29 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 |
| 2. | Kylian Mbappé | France | 18 | 18 | 2018, 2022, 2026 |
| 3. | Miroslav Klose | Germany | 16 | 24 | 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| 4. | Ronaldo | Brazil | 15 | 19 | 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006 |
| 5. | Gerd Müller | West Germany | 14 | 13 | 1970, 1974 |
| 6. | Just Fontaine | France | 13 | 6 | 1958 |
| Harry Kane | England | 13 | 15 | 2018, 2022, 2026 | |
| 8. | Skin | Brazil | 12 | 14 | 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 |
| 9. | Sándor Kocsis | Hungary | 11 | 5 | 1954 |
| Jürgen Klinsmann | West Germany/Germany | 11 | 17 | 19901994, 1998 |
Kane tops the list of England’s highest goal-scorers in FIFA World Cup history and is followed by Gary Lineker, who finished his World Cup career with 10 goals.
The overall record for the most goals in FIFA World Cup history belongs to Argentina’s Lionel Messi. Messi has scored 19 goals in 29 World Cup appearances across six editions. He is followed by France’s Kylian Mbappé, who has scored 18 goals in 18 World Cup matches.
Germany’s Miroslav Klose (16), Brazil’s Ronaldo (15) and West Germany’s Gerd Müller (14) are the only players ahead of Kane in the all-time FIFA World Cup goalscoring charts.
Most goals in FIFA World Cup 2026
| POSITION | PLAYER | COUNTRY | MATCHES | GOALS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| =1. | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 3 | 6 |
| =1. | Kylian Mbappe | France | 4 | 6 |
| =2. | Erling Haaland | Norway | 3 | 5 |
| =2. | Harry Kane | England | 4 | 5 |
| =3. | Ousmane Dembele | France | 4 | 4 |
| =3. | Vinicius Junior | Brazil | 4 | 4 |
Kane’s two goals against DR Congo also lifted him into joint second place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot standings. He has scored five goals in this year’s tournament, with only Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, who have six goals each, ahead of him.
England end 60-year wait
England’s 2-1 victory over DR Congo ended their 60-year wait for a FIFA World Cup win after conceding the opening goal.
England’s previous World Cup victory after conceding the first goal of a match came in the 1966 FIFA World Cup final against West Germany at Wembley Stadium in London on July 30, 1966. Since then, the Three Lions had failed to win a World Cup match after conceding first until Kane inspired their dramatic comeback on July 1.
About the Author
Harshit Bisht is a sports journalist at CNN-News18, where he has been covering cricket, football, and major sporting events from around the world since July 1, 2024. Driven by a passion for storytelli…Read More
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