The race for the Golden Boot at the World Cup is heating up, featuring some of the world’s most elite players in a thrilling competition.

Star players currently dominate the tournament, led by Kylian Mbappe. He began his campaign with a brace against Senegal, followed by a goal against Iraq and another double against Sweden in the round of 32. Mbappe added a crucial penalty in the round of 16 against Paraguay and scored again in the quarter-finals against Morocco after missing an earlier penalty attempt. His two assists could prove vital if he finishes level with his rivals.

Lionel Messi opened his account with a hat-trick against Algeria and added a double against Austria. In that match, he demonstrated his resilience after a penalty miss to break the all-time World Cup scoring record. Messi scored another goal after coming off the bench against Jordan and netted in both narrow knockout-stage victories over Cape Verde and Egypt, bringing his tournament total to eight.

Erling Haaland scored for the 14th straight international game with a brace against Brazil in the round of 16, reaching seven goals. Harry Kane also remains in contention, having saved England with two goals against DR Congo and contributing a goal and an assist against Mexico. Jude Bellingham joined the chase in that same match, scoring his third and fourth goals of the tournament.

Tournament organizers use the number of assists to break ties between players with the same goal count. If a tie persists, officials evaluate total minutes played and the goals-per-minute ratio. Here are the latest 2026 World Cup golden boot standings:

World Cup 2026 golden boot standings

1. Kylian Mbappe (France), 8 goals, (2 assists)

2. Lionel Messi (Argentina), 8 goals (1 assist)

3. Erling Haaland (Norway), 7 goals (0 assists)

4. Harry Kane (England), 6 goals (1 assist)

5. Ousmane Dembele (France), 5 goals (2 assists)

= 6. Vinicius Jr (Brazil), 4 goals (1 assist)

= 6. Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain), 4 goals (1 assist)

= 6. Ismaila Sarr (Senegal), 4 goals (1 assist)

= 6. Julian Quinones (Mexico), 4 goals (1 assist)

= 6 Jude Bellingham (England, 4 goals (1 assist)

Latest odds

Check out the latest odds with betting sites for who will win the Golden Boot at the 2026 World Cup.