The race for the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot has exploded into life as Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland all delivered standout performances on a high-scoring day for the tournament’s elite forwards.Between them, the trio have already set the competition alight, combining for 13 goals and firmly establishing themselves at the centre of the tournament’s most watched individual battle.Messi and Mbappé struck twice each for Argentina and France respectively, while Haaland responded in style hours later with a brace of his own for Norway in a dramatic 3-2 win over Senegal on Monday night.Haaland’s double came in a blistering 15-minute spell after halftime, as he made amends for earlier missed chances — including a shot off the post and a saved header just before the break.Messi, meanwhile, continued to rewrite history, becoming the FIFA World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer with 18 goals after Argentina’s win over Austria in Arlington, Texas. The Argentina captain now leads the Golden Boot standings with five goals in just two matches.Mbappé kept pace in the scoring charts after France’s 3-0 win over Iraq in Philadelphia, taking his tally to 16 and remaining firmly in contention alongside the tournament’s long-standing elite.
Haaland’s rise adds new dimension to Golden Boot chase
While Messi and Mbappé have years of World Cup experience behind them, Haaland is only just beginning his campaign on football’s biggest stage, with Norway returning to the tournament for the first time since 1998.Despite that, the 25-year-old striker has already scored four goals and extended his remarkable scoring streak to 12 consecutive competitive matches for Norway, during which he has netted 24 times.Germany’s Deniz Undav and Canada’s Jonathan David, both on three goals, trail the leading trio in the scoring charts.
Top 10 Goal-scorers at FIFA World Cup 2026
| Rank | Players | Goals |
| 1 | Lionel Messi (Argentina) | 5 |
| 2 | Kylian Mbappe (France) | 4 |
| 3 | Erling Haaland (Norway) | 4 |
| 4 | Deniz Undav (Germany) | 3 |
| 5 | Jonathan David (Canada) | 3 |
| 6 | Crysencio Summerville (Netherlands) | 2 |
| 7 | Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain) | 2 |
| 8 | Maxi Araujo (Uruguay) | 2 |
| 9 | Ayase Ueda (Japan) | 2 |
| 10 | Cody Gakpo (Netherlands) | 2 |
