The race to win the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot after the round of 32 displays Lionel Messi in the first place. The individual awards are among the accolades players pursue, even if the ultimate goal is lifting the trophy, making the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot one of the tournament’s most closely followed races. After the Round of 32, Lionel Messi remains at the top of the scoring standings.
Messi has scored seven goals for Argentina. He began the tournament with an outstanding group stage, helping his team win all three matches while scoring three goals against Algeria, two against Austria and one against Jordan. He then added another in Argentina’s extra-time victory over Cape Verde in the Round of 32.
Close behind him are several of the game’s biggest stars. Kylian Mbappé has six goals, while Erling Haaland and Harry Kane have five each. Ousmane Dembélé, Vinícius Júnior and Mikel Oyarzabal are next with four goals apiece.
Golden Boot standings
RankPlayerCountryGoals1Lionel MessiArgentina72Kylian MbappéFrance63Harry KaneEngland53Erling HaalandNorway55Mikel OyarzabalSpain45Ousmane DembéléFrance45Vinícius JúniorBrazil48Cristiano RonaldoPortugal38Folarin BalogunUSA38Julián QuiñonesMexico38Ismael SaibariMorocco38Matheus CunhaBrazil38Jonathan DavidCanada38Johan ManzambiSwitzerland3