Who will win the World Cup Golden Boot? Messi, Mbappe, Haaland and Kane locked in four-way race

The race to finish as the FIFA World Cup 2026's top scorer is as intense as ever, with four of football's biggest stars locked in a thrilling battle for the Golden Boot.

Argentina's Lionel Messi, France's Kylian Mbappe and Norway's Erling Haaland are currently tied on seven goals each, while England captain Harry Kane is close behind with six.

With Argentina set to face Egypt in their Round of 16 clash, Messi has an opportunity to move ahead of the others before the quarter-finals get underway.

Mbappe won the Golden Boot at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with eight goals, while Kane claimed the award at the 2018 World Cup in Russia after scoring six times.

This tournament has also seen Messi rewrite the record books. The Argentine became the all-time leading goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history after surpassing Germany's Miroslav Klose, who scored 16 goals. Messi has now taken his tally to 20 World Cup goals, achieved across six editions of the tournament.

Mbappe is not far behind. The French forward has scored 19 World Cup goals, despite this being only his third appearance at the tournament.

The leading contenders are also chasing another historic milestone — Just Fontaine's record of 13 goals in a single World Cup, set for France in 1958. With up to three matches remaining after the quarter-finals for the teams that progress, one of the frontrunners could still challenge the long-standing record.

Only three players in World Cup history have reached double figures in a single edition — Just Fontaine (13 in 1958), Germany's Gerd Müller (10 in 1970) and Hungary's Sandor Kocsis (11 in 1954).

Meanwhile, France winger Michael Olise is closing in on another World Cup record. Pele holds the record for the most assists in a single tournament with six, set during the 1970 World Cup, while Olise has already registered five assists in the ongoing edition.