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1 July 2026

The chase for the Golden Boot at the 2026 World Cup has reached a thrilling stage as Kylian Mbappe has drawn level with Lionel Messi at the summit, with Vinicius Jr and Erling Haaland also firmly in contention.

The tournament continues to be dominated by star players, none more so than Messi, who followed up a hat-trick against Algeria with a brace against Austria, displaying his trademark resilience after an earlier penalty miss. He later came off the bench to add another goal against Jordan, inevitably reinforcing his reputation as one of football’s greats.

Meanwhile, Mbappe has maintained outstanding scoring form. His double against Sweden powered France to a 3-0 win and secured their place in the last 16. That performance lifted him above Messi in the standings, although both players currently share the same goal tally.

Elsewhere, Haaland extended his remarkable international scoring streak to 13 consecutive matches, netting an 86th-minute winner for Norway in their round of 32 clash against Ivory Coast. That goal secured Norway’s passage to the next round and took Haaland’s tournament tally to five – just one behind leaders Messi and Mbappe.

Harry Kane remains within striking distance after heading home against Panama in England’s final group match, while Vinicius Jr made a statement with a brace against Scotland. Ousmane Dembele also threw his name into the mix with a stunning hat-trick against Norway.

If players finish level on goals, the number of assists will be the next deciding factor. Should there still be a tie, the ranking will be determined by minutes played and goals-per-minute ratio. Here are the latest 2026 World Cup Golden Boot standings:

1. Kylian Mbappe (France) – 6 goals (2 assists)

2. Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 6 goals

3. Erling Haaland (Norway) – 5 goals

4. Ousmane Dembele (France) – 4 goals (2 assists)

5. Vinicius Jr (Brazil) – 4 goals (1 assist)

6. Deniz Undav (Germany) – 3 goals (2 assists)

=7. Johan Manzambi (Switzerland) – 3 goals (1 assist)

=7. Ismaila Sarr (Senegal) – 3 goals (1 assist)

=7. Cody Gakpo (Netherlands) – 3 goals (1 assist)

=7. Julian Quinones (Mexico) – 3 goals (1 assist)

=10. Jonathan David (Canada) – 3 goals

=10. Ismael Saibari (Morocco) – 3 goals

=10. Matheus Cunha (Brazil) – 3 goals

=10. Brian Brobbey (Netherlands) – 3 goals

=10. Elijah Just (New Zealand) – 3 goals

=10. Harry Kane (England) – 3 goals

=10. Yoane Wissa (DR Congo) – 3 goals

=10. Kai Havertz (Germany) – 3 goals