Oldest Goal Scorers in FIFA World Cup History

Cristiano Ronaldo did not achieve his dream of lifting the FIFA World Cup trophy this summer, but he still set three new records during the tournament in North America. His goal in Portugal’s group stage victory over Uzbekistan marked him as the first male player to score in six World Cup tournaments. This feat ties him with Lionel Messi for the most World Cups played by any player.

Ronaldo’s equaliser against Croatia in the round of 32 also made him the oldest player to score in a knockout match, aged 41 years and 147 days. Despite this, he is not the oldest goalscorer in World Cup history. That distinction belongs to Cameroon’s legendary Roger Milla, who scored at the 1994 USA World Cup when he was 42 years and 39 days old.

The 2026 tournament highlighted the impact of veteran players. Alongside Ronaldo and Messi, names like Marko Arnautovic and Ivan Perisic entered the list of the oldest scorers. Below is the ranking of the oldest goal scorers in World Cup history:

Additional notable players include:

• Martin Palermo (Argentina) – 36 years & 227 days
• Georges Bregy (Switzerland) – 36 years & 152 days
• Ramin Rezaeian (Iran) – 36 years & 97 days
• Olivier Giroud (France) – 36 years & 71 days
• Tom Finney (England) – 36 years & 64 days
• Miroslav Klose (Germany) – 36 years & 29 days
• John Aldridge (Republic of Ireland) – 35 years & 279 days
• Nils Liedholm (Sweden) – 35 years & 264 days
• Hassan Al-Haydos (Qatar) – 35 years & 159 days
• Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Netherlands) – 35 years & 151 days