World Cup Goal Leader: Lionel Messi Tops in Golden Boot Race
June 26, 2026 · Global
Lionel Messi leads the race for the Golden Boot at the 2026 World Cup with five goals, followed by VinĂcius JĂșnior, Kylian MbappĂ© and Erling Haaland who each have four goals.
The stars have shone at the 2026 World Cup. We are now entering the end of the group stage, and the tournament's top scorers are starting to pull away from the contenders. We're keeping tabs on the race for the Golden Boot, the award given to the World Cup's top scorer. Assists are used as a determinant if two or more players have the same number of goals. Lionel Messi reclaimed top spot after Argentina snatched a win that booked their place in the knockout stages against Austria on Monday. Shortly after missing the penalty, the Argentina legend slotted home with a left-footed shot into the bottom left corner of the net, topping Germany's Miroslav Klose with his 17th World Cup goal. Then, before the match ended, Messi scored another goal. She has scored all five goals for her country and has now surpassed Brazil's Marta for the most goals (18) scored by a player at a World Cup, both men and women. As of Tuesday afternoon, Messi was one of eight players to score at least three goals in the tournament.
2026 World Cup Golden Boot Hunt
Ranking | Name | Country | Goal
1 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 5
2 | Vinicius Junior | Brazil | 4 (1 assist)
T-3 | Kylian Mbappe | France | 4
T-3 | Erling Haaland | Norway | 4
5 | Deniz Undav | Germany | 3 (2 assists)
6 | Johan Manzambi | Switzerland | 3 (1 assist)
T-7 | Ismael Saibari | Morocco | 3
T-7 | Jonathan David | Canada | 3
Messi is now one goal ahead of VinĂcius JĂșnior, Kylian MbappĂ© and Erling Haaland. VinĂcius JĂșnior scored twice in the first half against Scotland on Wednesday. He has the edge over MbappĂ© and Haaland at the moment, thanks to the assist he recorded in the 3-0 win against Haiti last week. MbappĂ© and Haaland have each scored two goals in each of their group stage matches. Haaland, playing in his first World Cup, has guided Norway to the knockout stages. However, he will have to face MbappĂ© in Friday's match that will determine the winner of Group I.
One interesting candidate for the Golden Boot is German substitute Deniz Undav. He scored twice last Saturday to increase his tournament goal total to three. He also had two assists. Both Messi and Canada's Jonathan David have scored hat-tricks. Messi's hat-trick came in Argentina's opener against Algeria, while David's hat-trick came in Canada's first World Cup win, a 6-0 demolition of Qatar. We'll be keeping an eye on the hunt for the Golden Boot throughout this tournament, so save this page and come back to see who comes out on top.