Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland are three of the twelve nominees in contention to claim the 2026 World Cup Goal of the Tournament. The 2026 World Cup belonged to the game’s biggest icons, with marquee superstars delivering unforgettable performances across North America. With the tournament now in the books, FIFA has opened voting for one of its most anticipated individual honors: the 2026 World Cup Goal of the Tournament, featuring a star-studded list headed by Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Erling Haaland.
This expanded edition proved to be the highest-scoring tournament in FIFA history, shattering previous records with a staggering 308 goals across 104 matches. Following Sunday’s final, FIFA officially unveiled a 12-goal shortlist for fans to crown the tournament’s single finest strike.
Unsurprisingly, Messi earned a nomination among his eight tournament goals, with FIFA selecting his opening-match stunner against Algeria. Back on June 16, the Argentine captain collected a crisp pass from Rodrigo De Paul in the central channel before whipping a curled, long-range laser past Luca Zidane into the top-right corner to kick off his team’s campaign in style.
MESSI SCORES ARGENTINA’S FIRST GOAL OF THE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP! 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/JyNwqGCaFU— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 17, 2026
Earlier that same day, Mbappe put on a shooting display of his own, capping a two-goal performance to lead France past Senegal 3-1 in their group-stage opener. Standing 32 yards out from Edouard Mendy’s goal, the Real Madrid superstar unleashed a thunderous strike that clipped the underside of the crossbar, marking his 58th career goal for Les Bleus to become his country’s all-time leading scorer.
Absolute GOLAZO from Mbappé! 🇫🇷Kylian Mbappé is now France’s ALL-TIME leading goalscorer pic.twitter.com/5phfectcIY— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 16, 2026
Haaland also earned a nod after authoring a legendary chapter in Norwegian soccer history. On July 5 against Brazil in the Round of 16, the physically imposing striker latched onto a delicate layoff from Andreas Schjelderup at the edge of the 18-yard box, hammering a blistering crossed shot home to seal an iconic 2-1 upset victory over the Canarinha.
ERLING HAALAND IS BRILLIANT TO BAG HIS BRACE AND PUT NORWAY UP 2-0 🇳🇴 pic.twitter.com/QA4bZE5DCe— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 5, 2026
The other candidates
Kerim Alajbegovic — Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Qatar (1-0), Group B, 24 June.Julian Alvarez — Argentina vs. Switzerland (2-1), 11 July.Jude Bellingham — England vs. France (4-6), 18 July.Sidny Lopes Cabral — Cabo Verde vs. Argentina (2-2), 3 July.Wilson Isidor — Haiti vs. Morocco (2-1), Group C, 24 June.Elijah Just — New Zealand vs. IR Iran (1-0), Group G, 15 June.Daizen Maeda — Japan vs. Sweden (1-0), Group F, 25 June.Eldor Shomurodov — Uzbekistan vs. Congo DR (1-0), Group K, 28 June.Ferran Torres — Spain vs. Argentina (1-0), Final, 19 July.