By Opta Analyst | Created at 2026-07-18 17:28:12 | Updated at 2026-08-02 23:36:11
2 weeks ago
Who will win the Golden Boot for the 2026 FIFA World Cup? Here, we track the leading contenders as the goals fly in.
Unofficially, the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been dubbed “the World Cup of superstars”, with many of the biggest names at the competition rising to the occasion and frequently finding themselves on the scoresheet.
As such, this is leading to one of the tightest and most intriguing Golden Boot races ever seen at the World Cup.
Here are the current World Cup 2026 top scorers:
8 goals: Lionel Messi, Argentina
8 goals: Kylian Mbappé, France
7 goals: Erling Haaland, Norway
6 goals: Harry Kane, England
6 goals: Jude Bellingham, England
5 goals: Ousmane Dembélé, France
5 goals: Mikel Oyarzabal, Spain
8 Goals
Lionel Messi
Before the 2022 World Cup, Lionel Messi didn’t have a great record on the world’s biggest stage, but he has put that right first in Qatar and now in North America.
His goals singlehandedly carried Argentina to victory in their opening two group games at the 2026 tournament. Messi netted his first hat-trick at a World Cup against Algeria, in the process becoming the oldest player to net three in one game in the tournament’s history.
He followed that up with a brace against Austria, making him the third player to score in six successive World Cup appearances. Those goals also ensured he moved past Miroslav Klose (16) as the tournament’s all-time leading goalscorer.
After being named on the bench against Jordan, Messi came on with half an hour to go and scored once again, taking his tally for the tournament to six goals.
He added a seventh goal at the 2026 finals with the opening strike in Argentina’s 3-2 extra-time win over Cape Verde in the last 32, and then set a new personal best for a single World Cup with the equaliser against Egypt, having also set up Argentina’s first in that last-16 thriller.
Kylian Mbappé
Going goal-for-goal with Messi is the man who always seems to thrive at World Cups, Kylian Mbappé.
Now the captain of France, Mbappé opened his account in North America with a brace against Senegal, finishing off Michael Olise’s stunning pass before firing in a late strike from range.
He struck another from distance to open the scoring brilliantly against Iraq, before being gifted a second goal thanks to a defensive howler.
Mbappé failed to find the net against Norway (though he did register two assists), but came back with a bang in the round of 32 against Sweden. His first goal was a stunning solo effort, powerfully struck from a tight angle. He then sealed the deal for France late on, once again partly down to the brilliance of Olise.
The Real Madrid striker took his tournament tally to seven with a penalty against Paraguay, before missing from the spot against Morocco. But Mbappé is inevitable, and he bent in a delicate effort later in the game to give Les Bleus a lead they would not give up.
7 Goals
Erling Haaland
It’s a top-scorers list, so of course Erling Haaland will be there. Even before scoring twice to send out Brazil at the last-16 stage, Haaland had been excellent at the 2026 World Cup.
He opened his World Cup account just under 30 minutes into his major tournament debut as he tapped David Møller Wolfe’s cross in at full stretch. He doubled his tally after blocking the Iraq goalkeeper’s clearance, the ball ricocheting off him and into the net.
Haaland scored another brace for Norway against Senegal, his first goal coming after using his pace on the counter-attack, and the second being a deft volleyed finish following something of a scramble in the box.
Haaland didn’t take to the field against France; he may have topped this list if he had. Nevertheless, he returned to the starting XI in the round of 32 and scored the winner against the Ivory Coast with a tap-in.
Another battle against rival Gabriel Magalhães arrived in the last 16, and Haaland got the better of the Brazilian with a second-half brace, sending Norway through to their first-ever World Cup quarter-final.
Six Goals
Harry Kane
Has Harry Kane been the most underpraised player at the tournament? His six goals in five games have taken his overall World Cup total to 14, putting him joint-fifth with Gerd Müller on the all-time top-scorers list and two off 2026 Golden Boot frontrunners Mbappé and Messi.
Kane had a stroke of luck at the start of the tournament as he was allowed to retake (and score) a penalty against Croatia that he originally missed. He doubled his tally for the game after nodding home from a Declan Rice corner.
Following a goalless game against Ghana, Kane headed in from a Jude Bellingham delivery to double England’s lead in the 2-0 win over Panama.
It was against DR Congo when the England captain proved to be the difference-maker, however. With his side trailing and facing the prospect of arguably their most embarrassing defeat ever at a World Cup, Kane once again produced an accurate header to beat the in-form Lionel Mpasi in the DR Congo net. Shortly after that equaliser, he unleashed a devastating strike into the roof of the goal to earn a 2-1 win for the Three Lions in the 86th minute.
Kane then scored what turned out to be the winning goal against Mexico from the penalty spot an hour into the last-16 game. It took his tally to the tournament to six goals, keeping him in touch with Messi, Mbappé and Haaland.
Jude Bellingham
Jude Bellingham has built a reputation as a man for the big occasions, and he has shown that in North America.
He made a good run and produced an excellent finish to score England’s third goal of the game against Croatia on MD1 before showing good strength and technique to open the scoring in a tight game against Panama on MD3.
Bellingham really shone against Mexico in the last-16, scoring a quickfire brace to put the Three Lions in the ascendency. He then got England back on level terms in the quarter-final against Norway after Andreas Schjelderup opened the scoring, before putting Thomas Tuchel’s men in front in extra-time.
Five Goals
Ousmane Dembélé
The current Ballon d’Or holder, Ousmane Dembélé has enjoyed a good tournament in North America, though he has been somewhat overshadowed by his teammates.
He scored his first goal in a major tournament against Iraq, then building on that momentum by inspiring France to a 4-1 win over Norway on Matchday 3. Dembélé toyed with his opposing full-back in the first half against the Norwegians, scoring a hat-trick inside 32 minutes.
After going a couple of games without finding the net, Dembélé scored his fifth goal of the World Cup to seal France’s victory over Morocco.
Mikel Oyarzabal
Mikel Oyarzabal might not be one of the most glamorous names on this list, but boy, is he effective.
He scored his first two goals of the tournament in Spain’s second group game against Saudi Arabia (4-0).
With another double against Austria in the round of the 32, Oyarzabal became the first Spanish player to score two goals in a World Cup knockout match since Emilio Butragueño (vs Denmark) in the round of 16 in 1986 (scored four).
He then converted a penalty to give Spain the lead against France in their semi-final clash.
Oyarzabal has scored 17 goals for Spain since the start of 2025 – in the same period, the only European player with more goals netted at international level is Erling Haaland, with 24.
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