2026 World Cup Golden Boot Rankings: Messi, Mbappe, Haaland and the Top Scorers

The group stage of the 2026 World Cup has wrapped up, ushering in the knockout rounds where every goal counts even more. Leading the scoring charts are familiar names like Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, who have again dominated the early stages.

Newcomers such as Erling Haaland, Vinicius Jr., and Deniz Undav have also made their mark by finding the back of the net multiple times. Here's a look at the current leaders:

Current Golden Boot Standings (as of June 30, 2026)

Before the tournament, Kylian Mbappe was favored to claim the Golden Boot, narrowly ahead of England's captain Harry Kane according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Norway's Erling Haaland might not be expected to advance as far as France or England, but with an outstanding international scoring record, he remains a strong contender.

Players like Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal also attract attention, sitting above legends like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the odds, despite the veterans chasing a sixth World Cup appearance.

Golden Boot History: 2022 and Beyond

In the 2022 World Cup, Kylian Mbappe made history as the first player since Geoff Hurst in 1966 to score a hat-trick in a final. He also scored in the penalty shootout after a thrilling 3-3 draw against Argentina. Though France fell short, Mbappe secured the Golden Boot with eight goals overall.

The 2022 top scorers included Messi with seven goals, and others like Julian Alvarez, Olivier Giroud, and Goncalo Ramos contributed significantly as well.

World Cup Golden Boot Winners Over the Years

There have been 22 different winners of the Golden Boot across the men's FIFA World Cup tournaments, highlighting that often it isn't the biggest stars who finish as top scorers.

Golden Boot Winners Who Also Won the World Cup

Only three players have won both the Golden Boot and the World Cup in the same year. In 1978, Mario Kempes led Argentina to victory, scoring twice in the final. Four years later, Paolo Rossi helped Italy win while topping the scoring charts. The last to do so was Ronaldo in 2002, netting eight goals including two in the final against Germany.

All-Time World Cup Goal Leaders

There is a new all-time leading scorer in World Cup history. Starting the 2026 tournament three goals shy of Miroslav Klose's record of 16, Lionel Messi quickly surpassed it by scoring a hat trick against Algeria and then adding more goals against Austria. His total now stands at 19 goals across six World Cups.