World Cup 2026 Golden Boot: Golden boys chasing history ahead of quarter-finals
Matthew Ireland
Elite athletes stand up on the biggest stage but not even Fifa could have foreseen the 2026 World Cup producing a Golden Boot contest for the ages.
The stars have aligned for football's bigwigs, with four of the best players on the planet trading blows across North America this summer.Just Fontaine's record haul of 13 goals at the 1958 World Cup is probably safe (just), but it seems likely that the highest total since Gerd Muller scored ten times at Mexico 1970 will be required to claim one of world football's most esteemed individual prizes.
The top two from Qatar 2022 lead the way, although it is Lionel Messi who has a one-goal advantage over the winner from four years ago, Kylian Mbappe. Messi has scored eight times in Argentina's five matches - the same number of goals Mbappe needed to claim the prize four years ago - while the French superstar is joined on seven goals by Norway's Erling Haaland. One goal further back is England captain Harry Kane, who, like Mbappe, is bidding to become the first player to win the Golden Boot twice.
Lionel Messi (8)
The World Cup Golden Boot is one of the few accolades Messi hasn't won during his glittering career, but he is in pole position to put that right. Messi has scored in his last nine World Cup matches stretching back to the 2022 tournament, and a quarter-final against Switzerland and potential semi-final against Norway or England, both of whom have had their defensive issues at the tournament, looks a favourable route to hit double figures before the final.
Kylian Mbappe (7)
France's superstar skipper has proved yet again that he raises his already ludicrously high ceiling on the global stage. Les Bleus have been the best side at the World Cup and are favourites to lift the trophy for a third time, so being one goal down on Messi is not necessarily an issue in his quest to become the first man to win the Golden Boot twice. But quarter-final opponents Morocco have conceded only four times at the tournament while Spain, who France are expected to meet in the semis, have yet to let in a goal at all. That said, you can never discount Mbappe when he is wearing a France shirt.
Erling Haaland (7)
Haaland's goalscoring prowess has never been in question but Norway's struggles to qualify for major tournaments mean he has until now been unable to show it on the international stage. He went off around 14-1 to win the Golden Boot at his maiden international tournament, but has scored seven goals in just four games at the finals, including a double in the last-16 win over Brazil.Norway's entire game plan is built around getting the ball as quickly and efficiently to Haaland in advanced areas, so if they find a way past England in the quarter-finals it is pretty certain that Haaland will have made another telling contribution.
Harry Kane (6)
England's captain won the Golden Boot in Russia eight years ago and his chances of repeating the feat probably rest on him guiding England to the final on July 19. A two-goal deficit is clearly not insurmountable if England make it to New Jersey as they will have beaten Haaland's Norway and Argentina and Messi to get there, but he will almost certainly need to score in all three rounds to come.
