World Cup 2026 Golden Boot Race: Vinicius Jr Challenges Messi and Mbappe

The fight for the Golden Boot is becoming increasingly fierce as Vinicius Junior emerges as a strong contender alongside Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland. Each match adds new drama to this thrilling race.

Messi currently holds the lead with five goals. After his hat-trick against Algeria, he scored both goals in Argentina's 2-0 victory over Austria. His opening goal in that match broke the all-time World Cup finals scoring record, surpassing Miroslav Klose's 16 goals. Messi then added his 18th tournament goal deep into stoppage time.

Mbappe followed up with four goals of his own—two against Senegal and two more versus Iraq. Not far behind, Haaland matched those numbers, scoring twice against Iraq and once more against Senegal.

Cristiano Ronaldo silenced critics who doubted his early form by netting twice in Portugal’s dominant 5-0 win over Uzbekistan.

Vinicius Junior climbed to four goals after a brace against Scotland, although one of his other potential goals was disallowed by VAR.