2026 World Cup Golden Boot: Messi and Mbappé Tied at Top
As the 2026 FIFA World Cup enters its final stages, the race for the Golden Boot has become a high-stakes duel between two of football’s biggest icons. Argentina’s Lionel Messi and France’s Kylian Mbappé are currently deadlocked at the top of the goal-scoring charts with six goals each.
The tournament, hosted across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, has seen a flurry of scoring since it kicked off on June 11. While Messi and Mbappé lead the pack, they are closely pursued by England’s Harry Kane and Norway’s Erling Haaland, both of whom have found the net five times.
The battle for supremacy remains tight as the tournament approaches its July 19 conclusion. Below is the complete list of top scorers for the 23rd edition of the World Cup.
6 Goals
- Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- Kylian Mbappé (France)
5 Goals
- Harry Kane (England)
- Erling Haaland (Norway)
4 Goals
- Vinicius Júnior (Brazil)
- Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain)
- Ousmane Dembélé (France)
- Ismaïla Sarr (Senegal)
3 Goals
- Germany: Deniz Undav, Kai Havertz
- Netherlands: Brian Brobbey, Cody Gakpo
- Brazil: Matheus Cunha
- Canada: Jonathan David
- United States: Folarin Balogun
- Morocco: Ismael Saibari
- Mexico: Julián Quiñones
- New Zealand: Elijah Just
- Portugal: Cristiano Ronaldo
- DR Congo: Yoane Wissa
- Switzerland: Johan Manzambi
2 Goals
Notable names with a brace include Jude Bellingham (England), Romelu Lukaku (Belgium), Raúl Jiménez (Mexico), and Anthony Elanga (Sweden). They are joined by Riyad Mahrez (Algeria), Marko Arnautovic (Austria), Leandro Trossard (Belgium), Youri Tielemans (Belgium), Ermin Mahmic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Cyle Larin (Canada), Daniel Muñoz (Colombia), Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast), Nicolas Pépé (Ivory Coast), Bradley Barcola (France), Ramin Rezaeian (Iran), Ayase Ueda (Japan), Daichi Kamada (Japan), Crysencio Summerville (Netherlands), Habib Diarra (Senegal), Pape Gueye (Senegal), Yasin Ayari (Sweden), Breel Embolo (Switzerland), Rubén Vargas (Switzerland), and Maxi Araújo (Uruguay).
1 Goal
The long list of single-goal scorers includes international stars such as Mohamed Salah (Egypt), Luis Díaz (Colombia), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium), Jamal Musiala (Germany), Lamine Yamal (Spain), Giovanni Reyna (United States), and Rafael Leão (Portugal).
Own Goals
Twelve players have inadvertently scored for their opponents during the tournament, providing crucial boosts to teams including the United States (two own goals in their favor), Spain, Belgium, and Norway.
Image: Pexels – Kari Alfonso
