The race for the "Golden Boot" at the 2026 FIFA World Cup is heating up. As the tournament progresses towards the playoff stage, the competition for the top spot in the scorers' list is in the spotlight.
Currently, the list is led by Argentina national team captain Lionel Messi. The experienced forward has scored 7 goals in four matches, making him the most prolific player of the tournament.
Messi's goals are as follows:
-In the match against Algeria (3:0) – 3 goals (hat-trick)
-In the match against Austria (2:0) – 2 goals
-In the match against Jordan (3:1) – 1 goal
-In the Round of 16 match against Cape Verde (3:2) – 1 goal.
In second place is France national team star forward Kylian Mbappé. He closely follows Messi with 6 goals in four matches.
Mbappé's productivity in the tournament is as follows:
-In the match against Senegal (3:1) – 2 goals;
-In the match against Iraq (3:0) – 2 goals;
-In the Round of 16 match against Sweden (3:0) – 2 goals.
In third place on the scorers' list is England national team captain Harry Kane with 5 goals.
Kane's goals:
-In the match against Croatia (2:2) – 2 goals
-In the match against Panama (2:0) – 1 goal
-In the Round of 16 match against DR Congo (2:1) – 2 goals.
Norway national team forward Erling Haaland, with the same record as Kane, is also in the top three with 5 goals. Interestingly, he achieved this result in just three matches.
Haaland's goal statistics:
-In the match against Iraq (4:1) – 2 goals
-In the match against Senegal (2:2) – 2 goals
-In the Round of 16 match against Ivory Coast (2:1) – 1 goal (winning goal in the 86th minute).
Haaland did not play in the last group stage match of the Norway national team against France, as he was rested by the coaching staff.
The top five is completed by France national team winger Ousmane Dembélé. He has scored 4 goals in four matches.
Dembélé in the tournament:
-In the match against Iraq (3:0) – 1 goal
-In the group match against Norway (4:1) – 3 goals (hat-trick in the first half).
The French footballer played in the matches against Senegal and Sweden, but failed to score in those encounters.
Thus, Lionel Messi leads the World Cup scorers' race with 7 goals. He is followed by Kylian Mbappé with 6 goals. Harry Kane and Erling Haaland each have 5 goals, and Ousmane Dembélé completes the top five with 4 goals. The competition for the "Golden Boot" is expected to intensify in the upcoming stages of the tournament.
