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Nearly two weeks into the 2026 World Cup, group-stage play is slowly but surely approaching its end. This means that high-stakes soccer is nearly upon World Cup viewers.

In this year's tournament so far, the top of the goalscoring charts features some of the world's best. For the second year in a row, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe are in the top two thus far.

There are some new names that have written themselves in the stat books for the first time. Erling Haaland, Vinicius Jr., Deniz Undav, and more have shared personalities with a global audience through putting the ball in the back of the net.

Here are the players at the top of this World Cup's chart so far as the leading scorers.

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World Cup Golden Boot rankings 2026

Table updated after Group E concluded its final group-stage matches on Thursday, June 25.

Odds to win 2026 World Cup Golden Boot

The winners of the previous two World Cup Golden Boots led the pre-tournament betting in 2026, with France star Kylian Mbappe the marginal favorite ahead of England captain Harry Kane with DraftKings Sportsbook.

Norway are not expected to go as deep into the tournament as France or England, but Erling Haaland's remarkable record of 55 goals in 50 internationals means it would be no surprise to see him in a familiar position at the top of the standings.

Haaland and Mikel Oyarzabal, who is expected to start as Spain's central attacker, are ahead of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the betting as the veteran superstars compete in their sixth World Cups.

Who won World Cup 2022 Golden Boot?

Kylian Mbappe made history by becoming the first man since England hero Geoff Hurst in 1966 to score a hat-trick in the World Cup final.

Mbappe also converted his penalty in the shootout after a thrilling 3-3 draw against Argentina, but Les Bleus ultimately came up agonisingly short.

There was at least the consolation for Mbappe of taking home the Golden Boot, following on from his four-goal showing on his triumphant World Cup debut in 2018.

Every World Cup Golden Boot winner

There have been 22 men's World Cup tournaments and 22 different winners of the Golden Boot.

A scan of the all-time winners below makes it clear that it's not always the star players who come away with the prestigious award.

How many Golden Boot winners also won the World Cup?

There have been 22 previous editions of the men's FIFA World Cup, but there have only been three occasions when the champion also had a player atop the Golden Boot rankings.

The first one came in 1978, as Mario Kempes helped lead Argentina to triumph on home soil, including two goals in the final against the Netherlands.

In the following edition, it was another goal poacher, this time Italian forward Paolo Rossi, who also scored in the final to help the Azzurri cap their magical run with the title.

Another 20 years passed before the next player to do it, and it was one of the all-time greats. Brazil forward Ronaldo was the star of the 2002 World Cup, and he delivered for his country, scoring both goals in the final against Germany.

Ronaldo's eight goals in that 2002 tournament are the most scored in a single tournament since Germany's Gerd Muller hit double digits in 1970.

Who has the most goals in World Cup history?

There is a new leader for the most goals in World Cup history. 

Lionel Messi entered the 2026 tournament three goals behind Miroslav Klose's record of 16. The Argentina star needed just two matches to surpass the German's total, tying the record with a hat trick in the opening game against Algeria before breaking the record against Austria. 

Andrew Gitto

Andrew Gitto is an Editorial Intern who joined the Sporting News team in February 2026. He is an avid New York sports (Knicks, Mets, and Jets) and Manchester United fan who is patiently waiting to see his teams succeed. Andrew graduated from Syracuse University in May 2025.

Source: Sporting News