The top scorers in World Cup qualifying history - ranked
World Cup qualifying is the platform for the best players in the world to prove their worth and get their team into the biggest and most important football tournament there is.
With qualification for the 2022 World Cup set to take place, teams will be backing their best goalscorers to fire them to the tournament proper in Qatar. But who are the greatest goalscorers in World Cup qualifying history? 90min takes a look.
30. Edinson Cavani - 18 goals
The Manchester United striker has scored goals everywhere he's been and that includes the international stage for Uruguay.
He's Uruguay's second highest goalscorer ever and second highest World Cup qualifying goalscorer too. Can you guess who's first? Answer later in this list...
29. Deon McCaulay - 18 goals
First time hearing about McCaulay? You haven't been keeping up to date with your Belize footy? Disgraceful.
His goals have come against CONCACAF nations like Montserrat, Grenada, Guatemala and St Vincent.
28. Didier Drogba - 18 goals
Best known for his days as Chelsea's main man, Drogba led the Ivory Coast golden generation which included the likes of Yaya and Kolo Toure .
He bagged an impressive 18 times in 19 games for his country in African qualifying games to play in three World Cups, but he only scored once in the tournament proper.
27. Clint Dempsey - 18 goals
While Landon Donovan is usually described as the USA's best ever player, there is a conversation to be had that includes Dempsey.
The ex-Fulham and Spurs forward notched up 18 goals in 43 qualifying games, then scored a famous goal as the States earned a draw with England in the 2010 World Cup tournament.
26. Jozy Altidore - 18 goals
This may come as a shock considering Altidore's showings in Europe for Sunderland and Villarreal, but he's actually a pretty lethal goalscorer in his homeland.
He shines in Major League Soccer and also at international level, sitting third in the all-time top scorers chart but top of his nation's qualifying goals charts with 18 goals to date.
25. Hernan Crespo - 19 goals
Crespo is arguably one of the most underrated strikers in his nation's history.
He did well at international level scoring 35 times, with 19 of those coming in 32 qualifying games.
24. Vaughan Coveny - 19 goals
A 6'3 striker who spent his entire career in Oceania, Coveny is a New Zealand great.
He scored 19 of his 28 goals for his country in just 20 World Cup qualifying games, although he never appeared in an actual World Cup tournament.
23. Pauleta - 19 goals
Before Cristiano Ronaldo existed, Pauleta was the man for Portugal.
Not only did he lead the way in the all-time scoring charts but he also scored 19 goals in World Cup qualifying for Portugal during his career.
22. Zlatan Ibrahimovic - 19 goals
The God, the lion, whatever he decides to call himself on the day, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is arguably the greatest Swede to ever play the game.
He recently returned to the international fold after a five-year absence and will look to add to his 19 goals in World Cup qualifying.
21. Alexis Sanchez - 19 goals
Alexis Sanchez is a modern great, even if his performances have fallen off in recent years.
He still gives it everything for Chile, who failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.
20. Archie Thompson - 20 goals
Now, this entry is a little bit skewed because of one performance in particular.
Archie Thompson scored 20 goals in World Cup qualifying for Australia during his career and 13 of them came in one game, when the Aussies beat Samoa 31-0 back in 2002. He equalled a world record in that game and ended up scoring just nine more for his country throughout his career.
19. Stern John - 20 goals
Probably best remembered by fans for his time in England, Stern John is the top goalscorer in Trinidad and Tobago history.
20 of the 70 he scored came in World Cup qualifying, including 12 during the 2006 campaign alone.
18. Chris Wood - 20 goals
Chris Wood feels a little out of place here, but the big Kiwi is much more prolific on the international stage than he has ever been at club level.
His record for New Zealand sits at just under a goal every two games but he's still searching for another taste of the World Cup having gone in 2010 as a teenager.
17. Paulo Wanchope - 21 goals
Best known for his time at Manchester City, Paulo Wanchope is without a doubt the best Costa Rican footballer of all time.
He bagged 45 goals in 73 games for his country including 21 in World Cup qualifying, playing in two World Cups and scoring twice against Germany back in 2006.
16. Ali Mabkhout - 21 goals
Mabkhout has made over 100 appearances for the United Arab Emirates and has rarely let them down.
Since his debut in 2009, he has racked up 21 goals in WC qualifying, scoring against the likes of Malaysia, Indonesia and Lebanon.
15. Sardar Azmoun - 21 goals
Bayer Leverkusen forward Sardar Azmoun is Iran's big hope for the 2022 World Cup.
His goals and assists led his country to qualification for Qatar, where they will face England, USA and Wales.
14. Marcelo Moreno - 22 goals
Bolivia have appeared at the World Cup just three times, and Moreno's time as their premier goalscorer has not coincided with their time on the biggest stage.
Competition in South America is high, But Moreno has still bagged goals and wins against the likes of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay since his debut in 2007.
13. Jared Borgetti - 23 goals
Mexico have been blessed with some great goalscorers in the past and Jared Borgetti is one of them.
He scored 14 goals during qualification for the 2006 World Cup and hit 23 in total en route to appearing in the 2002 and 2006 competitions with El Tri.
12. Tim Cahill - 25 goals
Remember that little Australian guy who used to pop up at Goodison Park with loads of goals? That was Tim Cahill, Australia's all-time top goalscorer.
He hit 25 of his 50 international goals in 37 qualifying games to get him on this list - the highest-scoring midfielder in qualification history.
11. Carlos Pavon - 25 goals
Honduras isn't exactly known for its footballing talent on the world stage, and yet striker Carlos Pavon almost makes the top ten.
24 goals in 35 qualifiers helped Pavon to make it to just one World Cup in 2010, where he was unable to add to his record of 57 international goals.
10. Edin Dzeko - 25 goals
Dzeko burst onto the scene in Europe with Wolfsburg and later enjoyed incredible spells at Roma and Man City, but he's been fantastic for his international side too.
The striker has scored a record 59 goals for his country with 24 coming in qualifiers.
9. Andriy Shevchenko - 26 goals
Considering Ukraine are hardly footballing heavyweights, it's a credit to them that they managed to produce one of the best strikers of his generation in Andriy Shevchenko.
The Milan legend scored 26 goals in 40 qualifiers during his career but only managed to play in one World Cup, scoring twice.
8. Kazuyoshi Miura - 27 goals
Miura only ever played in two qualification tournaments for the Blue Samurais, and yet managed to tot up the most goals in Asian qualifying history.
He scored 13 in 13 during the 1994 process as Japan failed to qualify, then scored 14 times during qualification for the 1998 tournament before controversially being left out of the squad. Shocking.
7. Karim Bagheri - 28 goals
For a defensive midfielder, a record of 50 goals in 87 international appearances is somewhat outrageous.
However, the standard of teams Iran would play in the 1990s was generally pretty poor - for example, seven of Bagheri's 28 qualifier goals came in one game against the Maldives in 1997.
6. Lionel Messi - 28 goals
The third greatest player of all time, but not when it comes to World Cup qualifiers, eh?
Messi has 28 World Cup qualifying goals to his name and time is running out for the Barcelona legend to make it count on the grandest stage of them all.
5. Luis Suarez - 29 goals
Remember those questions earlier about Cavani and Uruguay? Well, Luis Suarez is the answer.
The former Liverpool and Barcelona striker has scored goals consistently over the last decade and is the highest-scoring Uruguayan in history.
4. Robert Lewandowski - 30 goals
Simply put, Lewandowski knows where the back of the net is.
The Pole has scored 30 goals in qualifying games and scored 16 ahead of the 2018 World Cup alone - a record that is likely to stand for a while.
3. Ali Daei - 35 goals
Daei was one of the greatest goalscorers football has ever seen. The Iranian managed a remarkable 109 goals for his country in 149 appearances.
He plundered 31 in during qualifying but never got on the scoresheet at a World Cup tournament.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo - 36 goals
There's a Portuguese guy you probably haven't heard much about in the last 20 years or so, but he scores quite a lot of goals.
CR7 now has over 100 international strikes for Portugal, including 31 in 41 qualifiers up to now - the most of any European ever.
1. Carlos Ruiz - 39 goals
Guatemala have never qualified for the World Cup in their history, but they are the nation to have produced the greatest goalscorer in qualifying history in Carlos Ruiz.
'Pescado' scored 39 times in 47 qualifying appearances over five different campaigns to top this list and tops his country's all-time list.