The race for the World Cup 2026 Golden Boot continues apace and the usual suspects are right up there at the top of the rankings.
We are now at the semi-final stage and plenty of contenders have fallen by the wayside, the biggest hitters aren't just staying involved at the World Cup. They're scoring the goals that are making sure of it.
With just France, Spain, England and Argentina remaining, players from all four sides are in contention, but let's recap the top goalscorers still standing in the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer.
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Who is going to win the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot?
Leading the race are players who have won the Golden Boot for their club at league level, on the European stage, and even previously at the World Cup.
Kylian Mbappe took home the gong in 2022 with eight goals, including a hat-trick in defeat in the final - and he's already over halfway there with half of the tournament still potentially ahead of him.
And what sort of list would this be without the greatest football player of all time at the forefront of it? The one, the only, the man with nothing left to prove who still plays like he does: Lionel Messi.
Lionel Messi (Argentina - 8 goals)
Lionel Messi opened his 2026 World Cup campaign with a hat-trick against Algeria, scoring two glorious long range efforts in the process.
Despite his age, fans may have suspected that Messi would do this at the tournament, now relieved of the burdensome pressure that plagued him his entire career.
The lack of a World Cup victory, back when Cristiano Ronaldo's name was still floated in debates with him, was often used against the Argentine's 'greatest of all time' claim. No more.
With his historic 2022 run placing the final cherry on top of Messi's near-perfect career, 2026 could be the World Cup version of him playing with the shackles off, and finally winning the Golden Boot.
Messi added to his goals with a record-breaking brace against Austria, bagging his 17th and 18th strikes to put him top of the World Cup's all-time goalscoring charts.
The Argentine then scored a free-kick in a substitute appearance against Jordan, putting him two strikes clear of his closest competitors. His seventh of this tournament came in the Round of 32 versus Cape Verde and an eighth in a remarkable Round of 16 tie against Egypt.
Kylian Mbappe (France - 8 goals)
Kylian Mbappe is a man for the big occasion. The Frenchman's goalscoring only appears to improve when the pressure's on, so an opening game brace bodes extremely well for his Golden Boot chances.
Mbappe pipped Messi to the award in 2022, with a hat-trick in defeat in the final.
The Real Madrid star is the first player in history to have bagged four World Cup final goals and France look dangerously capable of making a third successive appearance in the global showpiece.
His first strike against Sweden in the Round of 32 was another peach, jinking one way then the other before finding the far corner. The second was textbook, opening his body after latching onto a Michael Olise through-ball and bending it into the net.
Mbappe was composure personified to open the scoring in France's Round of 16 tie with Paraguay, netting from the spot for his seventh of the tournament. And he levelled with Messi with a stunning strike against Morocco.
Harry Kane (England - 6 goals)
Harry Kane became England's record World Cup goalscorer, surpassing Gary Lineker, with his header against Panama, and then went level with Pele after his brace vs DR Congo.
The Bayern Munich striker has notched 14 goals at World Cups, six of which have come at this tournament so far, his latest a second half penalty against Mexico.
Kane already has a World Cup Golden Boot to his name, even if it's one of the weakest in recent memory.
In 2018, Kane took home the award with six goals – an opening-game brace against Tunisia, two penalties and a deflected goal against Panama, and a penalty against Colombia.
Jude Bellingham (England - 6 goals)
Jude Bellingham scored a brace for the second successive game as he took his World Cup tally to six at this tournament.
He scored his first in the opening win against Croatia. Bellingham then opened the scoring in England's final group game against Panama in New York. And he scored two in two minutes in England's 3-2 win over Mexico at the Azteca. In the quarter final with Norway, the Real Madrid man was again at the double as he scored both goals.
Bellingham is now second behind Harry Kane with seven World Cup goals for England. His six at this tournament along with his goal at the Qatar World Cup in 2022.
Ousmane Dembele (France - 5 goals)
Ousmane Dembele jumped from one goal to four with a spectacular first-half hat-trick in France's Group I decider against a much changed Norway team.
All three goals were finished beautifully and added to his tally soon after his long wait for a major tournament goal finally came to an end.
The Ballon d'Or winner's first four goals of World Cup 2026 were scored in the equivalent of an hour's worth of football. His fifth in the second half of the quarter final clash with Morocco.
Who is out of the running?
Erling Haaland scored seven goals in his debut World Cup appearance but he won't be adding to his tally now as Norway were beaten by England in the quarter finals.
Senegal's Ismaila Sarr bagged four goals, but their exit at Belgium's hands means his goalscoring form ends there. The same applies to Brazil's Vinicius Junior who bows out on four goals.
Dutch duo Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo, Germans Kai Havertz and Deniz Undav, New Zealand's Elijah Just, and DR Congo's Yoana Wissa will be unable to add to their goal tallies now.
Folarin Balogun scored three goals for co-hosts USA but they were beaten by Belgium in the Round of 16 so he won't be adding to his tally.
Race for the Golden Boot
8 goals
- Lionel Messi (Argentina)
- Kylian Mbappe (France)
7 goals
- Erling Haaland (Norway - eliminated)
6 goals
- Harry Kane (England)
- Jude Bellingham (England)
5 goals
- Ousmane Dembele (France)
4 goals
- Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain)
- Vinicius Junior (Brazil - eliminated)
- Ismaila Sarr (Senegal - eliminated)
