Messi, Mbappe, Haaland and Kane set up blockbuster World Cup Golden Boot race

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As the tournament enters the quarter-finals, the race for the Golden Boot is heating up. Here's a look at the four players leading the chase for the top scorer award.

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08 Jul 2026 06:00PM

SINGAPORE: With more teams than ever before, the expanded 2026 World Cup has produced one of the most competitive Golden Boot races.

The highly coveted award is presented to the top goalscorer at the end of the tournament. If two or more players have the same number of goals, assists are used as the first tiebreaker.

If the players are still tied, total minutes played will be taken into account, with the player who played fewer minutes ranked higher.

Here are the top four players in the running for the Golden Boot, with Argentina's Lionel Messi leading the way.

Lionel Messi (8 goals, 1 assist)

Position: Forward

Age: 39

Country: Argentina

Club: Inter Miami

World Cups played: 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026

Current tournament stats:

Played and scored in all five of Argentina’s matches

Scored a hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 opening match against Algeria, his first at the World Cup

Marked his first appearance as a substitute by scoring La Albiceleste’s third goal in a 3-1 victory against Jordan

Milestones:

Won the 2022 World Cup

Won the World Cup Golden Ball in 2014 and 2022, making him the only player to win the award twice

All-time leading scorer in World Cup history with a total of 21 goals

Holds the record for scoring in nine consecutive World Cup matches

Kylian Mbappe (7 goals, 2 assists)

Position: Forward

Age: 27

Country: France

Club: Real Madrid

World Cups played: 2018, 2022 and 2026

Current tournament stats:

Played in all five of France's matches, scored in four

Scored twice in Les Bleus’ 3-0 knockout win over Sweden, named Man of the Match

Brace against Sweden saw him become the all-time leading scorer in World Cup knockout matches, with 10 goals in nine matches

Milestones:

Became the second teenager after legendary Brazilian player Pele to score in a World Cup final, when he netted against Croatia in France’s 4-2 victory in 2018

Won the Golden Boot in 2022 after scoring eight goals

Scored a hat-trick against Argentina in the 2022 final, the first in a final in over 50 years

Erling Haaland (7 goals)

Position: Forward

Age: 25

Country: Norway

Club: Manchester City

World Cups played: 2026

Current tournament stats:

Became the third player in World Cup history to score in his first three matches

Led Norway to a stunning victory over Brazil in the Round of 16 after scoring two goals in the final 11 minutes of the match

Netted an 86-minute winner in the Vikings’ 2-1 Round of 32 victory over Ivory Coast

Rested for Norway’s final group-stage match against France after qualification to the knockout rounds had already been secured

Milestones:

Netted twice in the final qualifiers match against Italy, leading to a 4-1 win and sealing Norway’s first major tournament qualification since UEFA Euro 2000

Made his World Cup debut after Norway failed to qualify for the 2022 edition, where he scored five goals in the qualifiers

Haaland has scored in each of his last 14 competitive appearances for Norway, including three goals in the knockout rounds at this World Cup

Harry Kane (6 goals, 1 assist)

Position: Forward

Age: 32

Country: England

Club: Bayern Munich

World Cups played: 2018, 2022 and 2026

Current tournament stats:

Played in all of England’s five matches, finding the net in four

Scored twice in the Three Lions’ 4-2 opening match against Croatia, awarded Man of the Match

Netted a brace and was named Man of the Match in England’s 2-1 Round of 32 win against DR Congo

Milestones:

Won the Golden Boot in 2018 after scoring six goals

Second English player to score at three different World Cups after David Beckham

Broke Gary Lineker's record to become England's all-time leading World Cup scorer with 13 goals

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Source: CNA/dc(sz)