We are almost a week into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and that means it is the perfect time to start looking at one of the big stories from this tournament every four years.
The chase for the Golden Boot.
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The 2026 World Cup could see history, given the presence of Kylian Mbappe. In the history of this event, no player has ever won the Golden Boot twice. After winning the Golden Boot at the 2022 World Cup, Mbappe could become the first player to achieve that feat, if he were to win again this year.
Mbappe’s brace against Senegal got his campaign for a second Golden Boot off to a strong start, but Lionel Messi’s hat trick against Algeria put the Argentina legend atop the list after his opening match.
Here are the current standings in the chase for the Golden Boot. You will note that assists and minutes played are listed, as those are the two tiebreakers in determining the winner of the Golden Boot. In the case of ties, the player with the most assists is ranked ahead.
Should there still be a tie, the player with the fewest minutes played is ranked ahead.
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Note: Table last updated following Group B matches on June 24:
|
Player |
Team |
Goals |
Assists |
Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Lionel Messi |
Argentina |
5 |
0 |
188 |
|
4 |
1 |
294 |
||
|
Kylian Mbappé |
4 |
0 |
199 |
|
|
4 |
0 |
208 |
||
|
3 |
2 |
69 |
||
|
3 |
1 |
147 |
||
|
Brazil |
3 |
0 |
191 |
|
|
3 |
0 |
255 |
||
|
3 |
0 |
271 |
||
|
2 |
1 |
123 |
||
|
2 |
1 |
144 |
||
|
2 |
1 |
174 |
||
|
Maxi Araujo |
2 |
1 |
174 |
|
|
Netherlands |
2 |
1 |
182 |
|
|
Switzerland |
2 |
1 |
194 |
|
|
Ermin Mahmic |
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
2 |
0 |
37 |
|
Netherlands |
2 |
0 |
88 |
|
|
2 |
0 |
184 |
||
|
Japan |
2 |
0 |
176 |
|
|
United States |
2 |
0 |
180 |
|
|
Senegal |
2 |
0 |
186 |
|
|
Canada |
2 |
0 |
187 |
|
|
Elijah Just |
2 |
0 |
190 |
|
|
Germany |
2 |
0 |
192 |
|
|
2 |
0 |
202 |
||
|
2 |
0 |
204 |
||
|
Daniel Muñoz |
2 |
0 |
207 |
|
|
Canada |
1 |
2 |
143 |
|
|
1 |
2 |
168 |
||
|
Sweden |
1 |
2 |
194 |
|
|
Switzerland |
1 |
2 |
283 |
|
|
Morocco |
1 |
1 |
54 |
|
|
Canada |
1 |
1 |
58 |
|
|
France |
1 |
1 |
156 |
|
|
Mostafa Ziko |
Egypt |
1 |
1 |
160 |
|
Japan |
1 |
1 |
181 |
|
|
Germany |
1 |
1 |
182 |
|
|
Germany |
1 |
1 |
182 |
|
|
1 |
1 |
187 |
||
|
Colombia |
1 |
1 |
199 |
|
|
Sweden |
1 |
1 |
201 |
|
|
1 |
1 |
205 |
||
|
United States |
1 |
1 |
209 |
|
|
Morocco |
1 |
1 |
309 |
|
|
Mikel Svanberg |
Sweden |
1 |
0 |
13 |
|
United States |
1 |
0 |
20 |
|
|
Mahmoud Trezeguet |
Egypt |
1 |
0 |
25 |
|
Gessime Yassine |
Morocco |
1 |
0 |
28 |
|
Colombia |
1 |
0 |
29 |
|
|
Portugal |
1 |
0 |
37 |
|
|
England |
1 |
0 |
38 |
|
|
Helio Varela |
Cabo Verde |
1 |
0 |
40 |
|
Leo Østigard |
Norway |
1 |
0 |
41 |
|
Sweden |
1 |
0 |
47 |
|
|
1 |
0 |
50 |
||
|
Nadhir Benbouali |
Algeria |
1 |
0 |
52 |
|
Mauricio |
1 |
0 |
53 |
|
|
1 |
0 |
58 |
||
|
South Korea |
1 |
0 |
67 |
|
|
Spain |
1 |
0 |
69 |
|
|
Hasan Al Haydos |
1 |
0 |
70 |
|
|
Senegal |
1 |
0 |
71 |
|
|
1 |
0 |
75 |
||
|
Jovo Lukic |
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
1 |
0 |
77 |
|
Raul Jimenez |
Mexico |
1 |
0 |
79 |
|
Julian Quinones |
Mexico |
1 |
0 |
82 |
|
Austria |
1 |
0 |
86 |
|
|
Norway |
1 |
0 |
92 |
|
|
1 |
0 |
100 |
||
|
1 |
0 |
102 |
||
|
Matías Galaraza |
Paraguay |
1 |
0 |
102 |
|
Iraq |
1 |
0 |
103 |
|
|
Michal Sadilek |
Czechia |
1 |
0 |
104 |
|
France |
1 |
0 |
106 |
|
|
Croatia |
1 |
0 |
116 |
|
|
1 |
0 |
117 |
||
|
1 |
0 |
124 |
||
|
Japan |
1 |
0 |
130 |
|
|
Germany |
1 |
0 |
136 |
|
|
Germany |
1 |
0 |
145 |
|
|
Algeria |
1 |
0 |
158 |
|
|
Agustin Canobbio |
Uruguay |
1 |
0 |
160 |
|
1 |
0 |
161 |
||
|
England |
1 |
0 |
164 |
|
|
Mohammad Mohebbi |
Iran |
1 |
0 |
175 |
|
Kevin Lenini |
Cabo Verde |
1 |
0 |
177 |
|
Australia |
1 |
0 |
153 |
|
|
Egypt |
1 |
0 |
163 |
|
|
Alexandre Nuno Mendes |
Portugal |
1 |
0 |
178 |
|
Croatia |
1 |
0 |
182 |
|
|
Joāo Neves |
Portugal |
1 |
0 |
182 |
|
1 |
0 |
188 |
||
|
Netherlands |
1 |
0 |
199 |
|
|
Ladislav Krejci |
Czechia |
1 |
0 |
201 |
|
1 |
0 |
201 |
||
|
DR Congo |
1 |
0 |
202 |
|
|
1 |
0 |
202 |
||
|
Kerim Alajbegovic |
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
1 |
0 |
202 |
|
1 |
0 |
203 |
||
|
New Zealand |
1 |
0 |
206 |
|
|
Ivory Coast |
1 |
0 |
207 |
|
|
Nizar al-Rashdan |
Jordan |
1 |
0 |
209 |
|
1 |
0 |
209 |
||
|
1 |
0 |
278 |
||
|
Switzerland |
1 |
0 |
304 |
