The race for the golden boot at World Cup 2026 is hurtling towards an epic contest during the knockout stage with Lionel Messi, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland all in contention.
The stars continue to dominate at this tournament, none more so than Messi after backing up a hat-trick against Algeria with a double against Austria to highlight one of his greatest traits after a penalty miss.
But Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland followed the Argentine with doubles of their own on a dramatic day at the World Cup, with the France captain enduring nearly a two hour delay due to adverse weather.
Haaland has Norway primed for the knockouts, too, with his nation producing another iconic World Cup celebration, while Harry Kane, Deniz Undav and Vinicius Jr could all still challenge.
If players are tied for goals, the number of assists will determine who ranks higher. If there is still a tie, it comes down to minutes played and the goals-per-minute ratio. Here are the latest 2026 World Cup golden boot standings:
World Cup golden boot standings
1. Lionel Messi (Argentina), 5 goals
= 2. Kylian Mbappe (France), 4 goals
= 2. Erling Haaland (Norway), 4 goals
4. Deniz Undav (Germany), 3 goals (2 assists)
5. Jonathan David (Canada), 3 goals
= 6. Vinicius Jr (Brazil), 2 goals (1 assist)
= 6. Cody Gakpo (Netherlands), 2 goals (1 assist)
= 6. Crysencio Summerville (Netherlands), 2 goals (1 assist)
= 6. Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain), 2 goals (1 assist)
= 6. Maximiliano Araujo (Uruguay), 2 goals (1 assist)
= 6. Ayase Ueda (Japan), 2 goals (1 assist)
= 12. Harry Kane (England), 2 goals
= 12. Matheus Cunha (Brazil), 2 goals
= 12. Yasin Ayari (Sweden), 2 goals
= 12. Elijah Just (New Zealand), 2 goals
= 12. Kai Havertz (Germany), 2 goals
= 12. Johan Manzambi (Switzerland), 2 goals
= 12. Cyle Larin (Canada), 2 goals
= 12. Ismael Saibari (Morocco), 2 goals
= 12. Folarin Balogun (USA), 2 goals
= 12. Brian Brobbey (Netherlands), 2 goals
= 12. Daichi Kamada (Japan), 2 goals
= 12. Ismaila Sarr (Senegal), 2 goals