Overview
- Miroslav Klose, now coach of 1. FC Nürnberg, told Süddeutsche Zeitung that he expects his record of 16 World Cup goals to be broken during the 2026 tournament.
- Klose cited the tournament’s expanded format as the key reason, saying more teams mean more matches and therefore more opportunities to score.
- Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé are the closest active challengers with 13 and 12 World Cup goals respectively, which Klose singled out as making the record likely to fall.
- Klose welcomed the prospect of a new record-holder, called Messi a genius and noted his friendship with Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni from their time at Lazio.
- Klose’s 16-goal total has stood since his last World Cup and now faces fresh pressure from a generation of elite forwards benefiting from more fixtures this year.