FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot Race: Kylian Mbappe Takes The Lead, Lionel Messi Drops To 2nd

Last Updated:July 03, 2026, 16:00 IST

Check out the leading contenders to win FIFA World Cup 2026 golden boot award.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot race is wide open after Harry Kane produced a match-winning late brace against DR Congo, drawing level with Erling Haaland on five goals and closing the gap on leaders Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.

With the knockout stage underway, the battle to finish as the tournament’s leading scorer is heating up.

Kylian Mbappe

Mbappe currently tops the Golden Boot standings with six goals and two assists from four matches. The France captain opened his campaign with a brace in a 3-1 victory over Senegal before scoring twice again in a commanding 3-0 win against Iraq. Although he failed to find the net against Norway, Mbappe responded with another brace in France’s 3-0 Round of 32 victory over Sweden. His six-goal haul has also taken his overall World Cup tally to 18, moving him into outright second among the tournament’s all-time scorers, one behind Lionel Messi’s record of 19.

Lionel Messi

Messi has matched Mbappe’s six goals but trails on assists. The Argentine superstar began his campaign with a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Algeria, becoming the oldest player in men’s World Cup history to score both a brace and a hat-trick at 38 years and 357 days. He also surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo as the oldest player to score a World Cup hat-trick, eclipsing the Portuguese forward’s record from 2018, according to Fox Sports. Messi followed that performance with a brace against Austria and another goal in Argentina’s 3-1 win over Jordan. His strike against Jordan took him to a record 19 career World Cup goals, and another goal against Cape Verde in the Round of 32 would move him ahead of Mbappe in the Golden Boot race.

Erling Haaland

Haaland sits joint-third with five goals. The Norway striker scored braces against Iraq and Senegal before adding another in a 2-1 Round of 32 victory over Ivory Coast after drawing a blank against France. He will look to add to his tally when Norway face Brazil in the Round of 16.

Harry Kane

Kane has now joined Haaland on five goals after opening his tournament with a brace against Croatia and scoring once against Panama before his decisive double against DR Congo.

Ousmane Dembele

France winger Dembele is next with four goals and two assists, having scored once against Iraq before producing a hat-trick against Norway. Brazil’s Vinicius Junior also has four goals but ranks behind Dembele due to having just one assist.

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