Which players have scored in the most World Cup tournaments?

Suraj Radia

21 Nov 2022 19:03 GMT
2 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal, 2021/22 — © ProShots

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is under way with a host of stars looking to add to and break records as they seek to lead their nations to glory.

Cristiano Ronaldo has achieved many accolades during his career for club and country and the Portugal star could add another one to the list if he nets in Qatar.

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Should Ronaldo score, he would become the first player ever to score in five World Cups, having netted in the past four editions since 2006.

Currently he shares the record with three other players; Brazilian legend Pele and German duo Uwe Seeler and Miroslav Klose.

Which players have scored in the most World Cup tournaments?

Player	Country	Total number of goals	Number of tournaments scored in (years)
Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	7	4 (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018)
Uwe Seeler	Germany	9	4 (1958, 1962, 1966, 1970)
Pele	Brazil	12	4 (1958, 1962, 1966, 1970)
Miroslav Klose	Germany	16	4 (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014)

Klose is the World Cup’s all-time top goalscorer, achieving the record by edging out Brazil’s Ronaldo when he scored his 16th goal in his final tournament in 2014, having netted in every edition since his first in 2002.

Pele and Seeler both shared the stage between 1958 and 1970, scoring in all four tournaments, however the Brazilian’s 12 goals is three more than the German managed.

There are a multitude of players who have netted in three tournaments, however there are some stars who could score in their fourth World Cup should they net in Qatar.

Uruguay duo Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez have scored in 2010, 2014 and 2018, combining for 12 goals and both have been selected for the country this year.

Ronaldo could have had another record to contest with Lionel Messi but the Argentine star failed to score in 2010, leaving him on three.

Despite scoring in four tournaments, Ronaldo has netted just seven goals overall and his 17 appearances mean he would be one short of Lothar Matthaus’ record of 24 games even if Portugal reach the final with the Manchester United star playing every match.

Ronaldo, however, will become the fourth player to feature in five tournaments, along with Matthaus and Mexican duo Antonio Carbajal and Rafael Marquez.

All eyes will be on Ronaldo to see if he can get his first sole World Cup record by scoring in 2022 and becoming the first player ever player to net in five tournaments.