The race for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot has become more competitive after the completion of the second round of group-stage fixtures.
Argentina captain Lionel Messi currently leads the scoring chart after an impressive start to the tournament.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored five goals so far, with no assists recorded.
Mbappé and Haaland remain close
Messi moved to the top of the standings after scoring a hat-trick in Argentina’s opening match before adding two more goals in their second group game.
France captain Kylian Mbappé and Norway striker Erling Haaland are behind him with four goals each.
Mbappé is placed second while Haaland occupies third position, with both players yet to provide an assist.
The ranking between players with the same number of goals is determined by FIFA’s Golden Boot rules, including minutes played.
Golden Boot standings: Top scorers at 2026 World Cup
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) — 5 goals, 0 assists
- Kylian Mbappé (France) — 4 goals, 0 assists
- Erling Haaland (Norway) — 4 goals, 0 assists
- Deniz Undav (Germany) — 3 goals, 2 assists
- Jonathan David (Canada) — 3 goals, 0 assists
- Crysencio Summerville (Netherlands) — 2 goals, 1 assist
- Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain) — 2 goals, 1 assist
- Maxi Araújo (Uruguay) — 2 goals, 1 assist
- Ayase Ueda (Japan) — 2 goals, 1 assist
- Cody Gakpo (Netherlands) — 2 goals, 1 assist
- Vinícius Júnior (Brazil) — 2 goals, 1 assist
- Johan Manzambi (Switzerland) — 2 goals, 0 assists
- Brian Brobbey (Netherlands) — 2 goals, 0 assists
- Matheus Cunha (Brazil) — 2 goals, 0 assists
- Cyle Larin (Canada) — 2 goals, 0 assists
- Daichi Kamada (Japan) — 2 goals, 0 assists
- Folarin Balogun (United States) — 2 goals, 0 assists
- Ismael Saibari (Morocco) — 2 goals, 0 assists
- Yasin Ayari (Sweden) — 2 goals, 0 assists
- Ismaïla Sarr (Senegal) — 2 goals, 0 assists
- Elijah Just (New Zealand) — 2 goals, 0 assists
- Kai Havertz (Germany) — 2 goals, 0 assists
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) — 2 goals, 0 assists
- Harry Kane (England) — 2 goals, 0 assists
- Daniel Muñoz (Colombia) — 2 goals, 0 assists
Other players among the leading scorers include Alexander Isak, Mohamed Salah, Nathan Saliba, Ruben Vargas and Ousmane Dembélé.
Golden Boot battle continues
With more group-stage matches still to be played, the battle for the tournament’s top scorer remains open.
Messi’s early advantage gives Argentina a strong boost, but stars including Mbappé, Haaland, Ronaldo and Kane remain in contention.
