The race for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot has intensified after the completion of the second round of group-stage matches, with Argentina captain, Lionel Messi establishing himself as the clear frontrunner.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored five goals and provided zero assists so far, placing him clear at the top of the standings.
Messi opened his tournament with a hat-trick and followed it up with two more goals in Argentina’s second group match.
France captain, Kylian Mbappé and Norway striker, Erling Haaland sit immediately behind on four goals each.
Mbappé ranks second and Haaland third, with both players yet to register an assist.
The tiebreaker between them was decided by minutes played, in line with FIFA’s Golden Boot criteria.
Golden Boot standings: Top 30 highest goal scorers at 2026 World Cup
Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 5 goals, 0 assists
Kylian Mbappé (France) – 4 goals, 0 assists
Erling Haaland (Norway) – 4 goals, 0 assists
Deniz Undav (Germany) – 3 goals, 2 assists
Jonathan David (Canada) – 3 goals, 0 assists
Crysencio Summerville (Netherlands) – 2 goals, 1 assist
Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain) – 2 goals, 1 assist
Maxi Araújo (Uruguay) – 2 goals, 1 assist
Ayase Ueda (Japan) – 2 goals, 1 assist
Cody Gakpo (Netherlands) – 2 goals, 1 assist
Vinícius Júnior (Brazil) – 2 goals, 1 assist
Johan Manzambi (Switzerland) – 2 goals, 0 assists
Brian Brobbey (Netherlands) – 2 goals, 0 assists
Matheus Cunha (Brazil) – 2 goals, 0 assists
Cyle Larin (Canada) – 2 goals, 0 assists
Daichi Kamada (Japan) – 2 goals, 0 assists
Folarin Balogun (United States) – 2 goals, 0 assists
Ismael Saibari (Morocco) – 2 goals, 0 assists
Yasin Ayari (Sweden) – 2 goals, 0 assists
Ismaïla Sarr (Senegal) – 2 goals, 0 assists
Elijah Just (New Zealand) – 2 goals, 0 assists
Kai Havertz (Germany) – 2 goals, 0 assists
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) – 2 goals, 0 assists
Harry Kane (England) – 2 goals, 0 assists
Daniel Muñoz (Colombia) – 2 goals, 0 assists
Alexander Isak (Sweden) – 1 goal, 3 assists
Mohamed Salah (Egypt) – 1 goal, 2 assists
Nathan Saliba (Canada) – 1 goal, 1 assist
Ruben Vargas (Switzerland) – 1 goal, 1 assist
Ousmane Dembélé (France) – 1 goal, 1 assist.
Credit: punchng.com
