Most career goals in FIFA World Cup preliminaries
- Who
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- What
- 41 total number
- Where
- Portugal (Lisbon)
- When
- 15 October 2025
The most career goals in FIFA World Cup preliminaries is 41, achieved by Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) between 2004 and 2025.
Cristiano Ronaldo claimed the outright record for World Cup qualifying goals on 14 October 2025, scoring twice against Hungary to move past the mark of 39 that he had shared with Guatemala’s Carlos Ruiz. Ronaldo had amassed a total of 143 goals in 225 games for Portugal – both records for men’s internationals.