7 October 2025
Football fans are eagerly awaiting the appearance of Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo with his national team during the October international break, and the prospect of adding a new record to his impressive list of records.
Portugal will play two European qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup against Ireland and Hungary on the 11th and 14th, respectively.
Ronaldo is aiming to reach 40 goals in World Cup qualifying, placing him at the top of the all-time list.
Ronaldo shares the top spot for all-time World Cup qualifying goals with retired Guatemalan player Carlos Ruiz, with 39 goals each.
The 40-year-old Portuguese star has scored three goals in the current 2026 World Cup qualifiers, in addition to the 36 goals he scored between the 2006 and 2022 qualifiers.
Argentina's Lionel Messi, the star of the Albiceleste, the defending champions of the 2022 World Cup, is third in the all-time top scorers in World Cup qualifiers with 36 goals.
However, neither Messi nor Ruiz will be able to overtake him, as he ended his South American qualifying campaign last September, having scored eight goals in the qualifying campaign for the next World Cup.
Retired Iranian Ali Daei is fourth in the list with 35 goals, scored in 51 qualifiers between 1994 and 2006, the best in Asia.
Polish star Robert Lewandowski, captain of the Polish national team, is fifth in the list with 32 goals, scored in 41 qualifiers between 2010 and 2026.
It is worth noting that Cristiano Ronaldo is Portugal's all-time top scorer with 141 goals, and the most goalscorer in football history with 941 goals in official matches for club and country.
