When football fans come to look back on World Cup 2026, the tournament's entertainment value will be evaluated in large part on the number of goals scored in its 104 matches.
World Cup 2026 already has the highest total, surpassing Qatar 2022. With 48 teams involved, it's the biggest World Cup ever by far, but the wealth of attacking talent on show has also delivered a goals-per-game average high enough to keep the world on the edge of its seat.
But which of those scorers will sit on top of the list come July 19 to succeed France forward Kylian Mbappe as the World Cup Golden Boot winner?
World Cup 2026 Golden Boot power rankings
The big names have so far turned up at the World Cup, and the race to finish as top scorer is perhaps the best we've ever seen.
FourFourTwo ranks the contenders for the Golden Boot.
10. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
Cristiano Ronaldo has been heavily criticised at the World Cup having struggled to make an impact in group games against DR Congo and Colombia.
He did score twice against Uzbekistan, and there could yet be more goals to come, but he is low down in the power rankings simply because others are scoring far more freely. He would likely need a knockout stage hat-trick or two to force his way into contention.
9. Matheus Cunha (Brazil)
Brazil's Matheus Cunha has three goals to his name after replacing Igor Thiago as Carlo Ancelotti's go-to striker in the group stage.
If the Selecao go far in the tournament, the Manchester United forward could find himself amongst the top scorers, but he will need to take his chances.
8. Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain)
Mikel Oyarzabal had a fairly quiet group stage, scoring twice in games against Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay.
He will need to catch fire in the knockout stages to stand a chance of a Golden Boot, but much was expected of the Real Sociedad forward coming into the tournament, and the creativity of Lamine Yamal could yet present him with plenty of chances. With Spain still expected to go far, don't rule Oyarzabal out yet.
7. Ismael Saibari (Morocco)
Morocco forward Ismael Saibari has been one of the surprise packages of the tournament so far, leading the line superbly for the disputed African champions, who look arguably even stronger than they did in their run to the 2022 semi-finals.
Saibari has three goals so far after an impressive group stage, and he could well add more if Morocco go deep in the tournament. A last 16 tie against Canada isn't one to fear.
6. Ousmane Dembele (France)
Ousmane Dembele is one of a plethora of terrifying France attackers, and his classy hat-trick against Norway has given the Ballon d'Or winner a chance of finishing as the World Cup top scorer.
He is on four goals and would expect to add to that tally given the way Didier Deschamps team are playing, creating chances at will. He is not the focal point in attack, of course, but Dembele is capable of scoring a few more yet, and it seems likely that France will go all the way.
5. Vinicius Jr (Brazil)
Vinicius Jr of Brazil has been one of the standout players of the tournament so far, and he can count himself slightly unlucky not to have scored more than four goals having seen one harshly ruled out against Scotland.
The Real Madrid star is undoubtedly Brazil's main man now, with Neymar a bit-part player, and he is thriving with that responsibility on his shoulders. There could be more goals to come, and he is an outsider for the Golden Boot.
4. Harry Kane (England)
It might be unlikely that the England captain makes it quite far enough into this World Cup to be its leading scorer, but Harry Kane can never be ruled out given his astounding form for Bayern Munich in 2025-26.
Kane netted three times in the group stage, before adding two more in the Round of 32 against DR Congo, taking him up to five already. If England go deep into the tournament, his goals will continue to play an important role.
3. Erling Haaland (Norway)
Erling Haaland was always going to be amongst the top scorers at the World Cup, and he has so far lived up to his billing.
Norway have made it to the last 16, where they will face Brazil, in large part thanks to the Manchester City striker's five goals. Whether or not he can win the Golden Boot will likely depend on how far Norway go. If Brazil prove too strong next up, then Haaland's hopes will be over.
2. Lionel Messi (Argentina)
As the captain of the holders, an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, a two-time World Cup Golden Ball winner and one of the most prolific scorers the world has ever seen, Lionel Messi is always impossible to ignore.
The 39-year-old was the story of the group stage, starting off with a hat-trick against Algeria, before netting twice against Austria to become the World Cup's record scorer, and then scoring a free-kick against Jordan to further boost his Golden Boot credentials. But can he keep Mbappe at bay?
1. Kylian Mbappe (France)
The Golden Boot winner at the last World Cup was France striker Kylian Mbappe, who scored eight goals including a hat-trick in defeat in the final.
He is well in the race to repeat that feat, having netted six times so far in 2026, including a superb brace in France's 3-0 win over Sweden in the last 32. With Michael Olise providing the through balls, Mbappe looks in ominous form.
