Lionel Messi has. Once again. Taken the lead in the race for the World Cup’s Golden Boot award after scoring his eighth goal in his country’s thrilling 3-2 win over Egypt in the round of 16 on Tuesday. Messi’s goal brought Argentina back on level terms after they were 2-0 down in the match in Atlanta, and also helped him break away from the rest of the pack.

Messi Edges Ahead of Mbappe and Haaland

For three days. French talisman Kylian Mbappe and Argentinian great Lionel Messi were joint leaders in the race to be the tournament’s top goal scorer, with seven goals apiece. However, Erling Haaland’s double in Norway’s round of 16 win against Brazil on Sunday put him level with both players.

Messi became the first to reach seven goals when Argentina beat Cape Verde on Friday, and Mbappe matched him a day later as France beat Paraguay. England’s Harry Kane took his tally to six goals after scoring in England’s 3-2 win over Mexico late on Sunday.

Rules and Criteria for the Golden Boot

FIFA’s Golden Boot is awarded to the player with the most goals at the end of the tournament; If two players are tied on the same number of goals, the player with the most assists will win the award. If those tiebreakers cannot split two players, the Golden Boot is handed to the player who achieved their goals and assists in the least number of minutes.

France’s Mbappe is the current holder after scoring eight goals in Qatar at the 2022 World Cup. Mbappe, Kane, and James Rodriguez are all looking to bag the top goal-scorer prize for a second time. England’s Kane won the award in 2018 in Russia, while Colombia’s Rodriguez was the top scorer in 2014 in Brazil. No player has ever won the award more than once.

Historical Milestones and Current Rankings

Entering the quarterfinals, Mbappe gets his chance first to increase his goal tally when France plays Morocco on Thursday. Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal and Mbappe’s teammate Ousmane Dembele are hot on their heels with four goals each.

Here’s the current top goal scorers at World Cup 2026:

  • Lionel Messi (Argentina), 8 goals, 1 assist
  • Kylian Mbappe (France) – 7 goals, 2 assists
  • Erling Haaland (Norway), 7 goals, 0 assists
  • Harry Kane (England), 6 goals, 1 assist
  • Ousmane Dembele (France), 4 goals, 2 assists
  • Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain), 4 goals, 1 assist

French forward Just Fontaine holds the record for most goals in a single World Cup, with 13 in the 1958 tournament in Sweden. Sandor Kocsis scored 11 at the 1954 tournament in Switzerland, while West Germany’s Gerd Muller bagged 10 at the World Cup 1970 in Mexico.

For total goals in FIFA World Cup history, the rankings are as follows:

  • Lionel Messi (Argentina), 21
  • Kylian Mbappe (France), 19
  • Miroslav Klose (Germany), 16
  • Ronaldo (Brazil), 15
  • Harry Kane (England) and Gerd Muller (West Germany), 14