Messi leads, Mbappé right behind, Haaland closing in: the Golden Boot race has never been this good
Messi reclaimed the top of the 2026 World Cup scoring charts with 7 goals. Mbappé, Kane and Haaland are right on his heels. Here's how the Golden Boot battle stands.
Seven goals. That's the number Lionel Messi is sitting on as he reclaims the top of the 2026 World Cup scoring charts. The strike he netted in Argentina's victory over Cape Verde was enough for the Argentine superstar to overtake Kylian Mbappé and reassume the tournament's top-scorer spot, according to Sky Sports.
But make no mistake: this race is far from settled. Mbappé is right on his heels, and Harry Kane and Erling Haaland are also in the picture — four of the biggest names in world football chasing the same individual trophy, at the same time, in the same tournament. Rarely has a World Cup delivered this much.
The historical backdrop makes it all even richer. Messi and Mbappé have both surpassed Miroslav Klose in the all-time World Cup scoring rankings. Haaland, meanwhile, became Norway's all-time leading scorer at the tournament — and did it in just two games. Kane went past Gary Lineker as England's all-time top scorer at World Cups.
The record everyone has their eye on is Just Fontaine's: 13 goals in a single tournament, scored in 1958. Only three players in history have reached double figures at a single World Cup. Getting there would be something truly extraordinary.
On Argentina's side, Golmetria's model sees Messi's team as the outright favourite for the title, with a 20% chance of lifting the trophy. Mbappé's France comes in at 11% — and, curiously, the market has the French as bigger favourites than the Argentines in the odds.
In the end, the Golden Boot may be the perfect mirror of who goes furthest. And with Messi, Mbappé, Kane and Haaland all alive in the hunt, every game from here on carries extra weight. Which one of them will finish with the most goals — and with the trophy?