Golden Boot — Mbappé Wins It

Golden Boot — Final Top Scorers

1

🇫🇷

Kylian Mbappé

France👟 Golden Boot

Golden Boot winner. Mbappé finishes the 2026 World Cup as its top scorer on 9 goals, having dragged France to the semi-finals and pulled one back against Spain before they went out in the last four. He ended level with Messi, but when Argentina lost the final 1–0 to Spain, Messi could not add to his own tally — and Mbappé took the award on the assists-and-minutes tiebreak. Having also top-scored in 2022, he becomes the first player in history to win the World Cup Golden Boot at two different tournaments.

2

🇳🇴

Erling Haaland

Norway

Norway have never been to a World Cup with Erling Haaland in the squad. That changes in 2026. He almost single-handedly dragged them through qualification and he will carry that weight into the tournament itself. Norway are not going to win the World Cup but Haaland will score goals. The question is whether Norway survive long enough for him to rack up the numbers to compete for the Golden Boot.

3

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Harry Kane

England

England's all-time top scorer. Kane has had tournament football slightly against him — England often grind through knockout games without him scoring in flurries — but his penalty record is extraordinary and he finds a way to contribute even in difficult matches. England are expected to go deep. If they do, Kane will be in the hunt for the Golden Boot right up until the final weeks of the tournament.

4

🇧🇷

Vinicius Jr

Brazil

Electric, direct, and capable of moments that make you put your phone down. Brazil will create chances all tournament and Vinicius will be at the centre of that. He has developed the end product to match his dribbling ability — he is not just a wide man now, he is a serious goalscorer. If Brazil play the kind of attacking football they are capable of, Vinicius could end up with a remarkable number of goals.

5

🇪🇸

Lamine Yamal

Spain

He will be 18 years old and already a world champion by the time the 2026 World Cup begins. Spain dominate possession in a way no other nation can and Yamal is their most creative player. He is not primarily a goalscorer but he gets into positions to finish, he creates for others, and he is improving so rapidly that predicting where his ceiling is feels like guesswork. At 18, with Spain behind him, he could do anything.

6

🇦🇷

Lionel Messi

Argentina

So close. Lionel Messi answered every question — 9 goals, level with Mbappé at the summit, and an extra-time winner against England that carried Argentina into the final. But Spain edged the final 1–0, Messi could not find the goal that would have won the Golden Boot outright, and with both men finishing level he lost the award to Mbappé on the tiebreak. A runners-up medal and a share of the scoring lead is a bittersweet way to sign off what he had said would be his final World Cup.

7

🇵🇹

Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal

41 years old. One last dance. Ronaldo at a World Cup is one of football's great recurring events — he scores, he celebrates, he wills Portugal forward on his own if he has to. Nobody expects him to win the Golden Boot at 41 but nobody can rule it out either. He is still playing regularly and still scoring. If Portugal go deep and Ronaldo finds his moment, there will be nobody in the world watching anything else.

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Bukayo Saka

England

England's most dangerous attacking player in the current setup. Saka is creative, gets into goal-scoring positions constantly, and draws more fouls than almost any player in the Premier League. His partnership with Kane gives England a serious double threat. He is not Kane's volume scorer but his total contributions — goals, assists, earned penalties — could make him England's standout performer if they go all the way.