2026 World Cup Top Scorers: Messi and Mbappé Lead the Pack

As the 2026 World Cup, hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, heads towards its final weekend, the race for the Golden Boot is as intense as the battle for the championship trophy. Lionel Messi of Argentina and Kylian Mbappé of France are currently tied at the top of the goal-scoring charts with eight goals apiece.

Messi has been a consistent threat, scoring a hat-trick against Algeria, a brace against Austria, and a single goal against Jordan in the group stage. He added another goal against Cape Verde in the Round of 16 and one more against Egypt in the quarterfinals. Mbappé has also showcased his scoring prowess with braces against Iraq and Senegal, and a repeat against Sweden in the Round of 16. Before France's elimination by Spain, he also found the net against Paraguay and Morocco.

Close behind the co-leaders is Norway's Erling Haaland, who has netted seven goals. However, with Norway eliminated from the tournament, Haaland cannot add to his tally and is out of contention for the Golden Boot. The next contenders are England's Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, both with six goals. Together, they have scored 12 of England's 14 goals in seven matches. They still have the third-place playoff match against Mbappé's France to potentially increase their individual goal counts.

Two other players are in contention with five goals each: Mikel Oyarzabal of Spain and Ousmane Dembélé of France. Oyarzabal scored a penalty in Spain's semifinal victory over France and has the final match against Argentina to potentially score more. Dembélé, a winger for PSG, will also play in the third-place match and aims to finish the tournament on a high note.

The top 10 is rounded out by three players with four goals each: Vinícius Jr. of Brazil, Ismaila Sarr of Senegal, and Julián Quiñones of Mexico. Unfortunately for them, their national teams have been eliminated, preventing any further additions to their goal tallies. The Golden Boot has been officially awarded since the 1982 World Cup, though FIFA also recognizes top scorers from earlier tournaments. The record for most goals in a single World Cup remains with France's Just Fontaine, who scored 13 goals in 1958.