The World Cup Golden Boot race: Updated goal-scoring leaders and odds

Now that the World Cup group stages have now concluded, we can say with certainty that one of the key themes of this tournament so far is that the megastars have really come out to play. Pretty mich every bona fide world-class star at this tournament has contributed at least one moment of magic, with many doing so on a consistent basis.

This is no more the case than when it comes to goal-scorers, with the current Golden Boot standings a star-studded list. Since Gerd Müller's ten-goal haul in 1970, the highest-scorers at a single World Cup are O Fenômeno Ronaldo in 2002 and Kylian Mbappé in 2022, both with eight, but that tally could very easily be surpassed at this expanded competition.

World Cup 2026 Golden Boot standings

There may appear an obvious front-runner to pick up the Golden Boot in New Jersey on July 19. However, as we enter the knockout phase, teams can get eliminated when no one expects, and things can change in an instant. Thus, we'll look at the six leading candidates for the award.

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi has achieved pretty much all there is to achieve in soccer, but he's never won the World Cup Golden Boot, but that could be about to change. Now 39 years old, he is showing no sign of slowing down, scoring six times during the group stages, including a hat-trick against Algeria and then a free-kick during Saturday's win over Jordan in Texas. He has thereby become the World Cup's all-time leading scorer, currently at 19 and counting.

These six goals would, at least, match the tally of ten of the last 12 World Cup Golden Boot winners, but the bar is set to be substantially higher this summer. Well, with la Albiceleste facing Cape Verde in the round of 32, having landed in the kindest section of the draw, expect Messi to rack up a few more goals.

Kylian Mbappé

Kylian Mbappé did leave Qatar with the Golden Boot, albeit not the trophy, despite a hat-trick in the final at Lusail Stadium. So, could he become the first man to ever pick up the award more than once? Well, Mbappé began this summer with braces against Senegal and Iraq, so would have been disappointed to blank against Norway's reserves on Friday in Foxborough.

During this summer already, he has become France's leading scorer at World Cups as well as also their record goalscorer of all-time. A tally of 60 goals in 101 caps isn't bad, is it? Next up for les Bleus is a more than winnable tie against Sweden and, if Didier Deschamps' side are going to make a deep run, the Real Madrid striker is likely to bang in the goals.

Ousmane Dembélé

Never before in World Cup history has a side had two players score six or more goals at a single tournament, but could France change that? Despite all he has achieved in the game, notably awarded last year's Ballon d'Or, Ousmane Dembélé had never scored in 19 appearances at World Cups or Euros.

Well, the PSG forward broke that duck against Iraq, before bagging a hat-trick against Norway, all three goals, which were near-identical, coming in the opening 32 minutes. This made Dembélé only the sixth man to score a first half World Cup hat-trick, the first to do so since Oleg Salenko in '94, and the second fastest treble, behind only Erich Probst in 1954. So, is Dembélé about to go on a scoring spree?

Vinícius Júnior

Much of Brazil's hopes, especially now with Raphinha sidelined, rest on the shoulders of Vinícius Júnior. He scored in all three group games, including a brace during Wednesday's win over Scotland in Miami that secured top spot for the Seleção. Bizarrely, Vini Jr's international scoring record is pretty underwhelming.

The 25 year old now has 13 goals in 52 caps to his name, of which four have come at this tournament. Given his stature in the game, one would expect that tally to be higher, but if anyone can get the best out of Vinícius, it is surely Carlo Ancelotti.

Erling Braut Håland

There is much debate as to who the best player in the world is, but if it is purely about goalscoring, that has to be Erling Braut Håland. On top of 162 goals in 198 appearances for Manchester City, Håland has a ridiculous 59 goals in just 52 caps for Norway, averaging one every 72 minutes.

Well, he has further improved that ratio at a maiden World Cup, netting twice against both Iraq and Senegal, before being rested by manager Ståle Solbakken against France on Friday. Norway's route through the knockout stages is not straight-forward, facing Côte d'Ivoire next and then Brazil or Japan after that, if they advance, but if the Lions do make a run, Håland will surely end up with a lot of goals.

Harry Kane

Last, but by no means least, could the 2018 Golden Boot winner do it again? By scoring against Panama at the weekend, Harry Kane has become England's record goalscorer at World Cups with 11, surpassing Gary Lineker's long-standing record. This summer, he has netted three times for the Three Lions, so he does have some catching up to do. Nevertheless, if England do get to the semi-finals and beyond, the Bayern Munich man will continue to be their main source of goals.

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