World Cup 2026: Messi, Mbappe, Haaland contest best ever Golden Boot race?
Lionel Messi leads the way with five goals with Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland second with four goals each. The race for the Golden Boot
Lionel Messi leads the way with five goals with Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland second with four goals each. The race for the Golden Boot at World Cup 2026 is shaping up to be one for the history books. After just two games, Argentina talisman Lionel Messi leads the way with five goals, followed by France’s Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland of Norway with four goals each. Germany’s Deniz Undav has three with Jonathan David of Canada on the same mark after a hat-trick against Qatar. A further 20 players have scored twice in their opening two games, including 2018 Golden Boot winner Harry Kane of England, Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal, Vinicius Jr of Brazil and Mikel Oyarzabal of Spain. The stars are all shining and, given the rate of scoring so far, it seems possible double figures might be needed to win the Golden Boot, something done only three times in history – by Hungary’s Sandor Kocsis in 1954, Just Fontaine of France four years later and Gerd Muller of Germany in 1970. Fontaine holds the record of 13 goals in one World Cup in just six matches in Sweden, but the expanded 48-team format in 2026 means the nations qualifying for the semifinals in July will play an unprecedented eight games in this edition. At the 2006 World Cup in Germany and in South Africa four years later, only five goals were needed to claim the Golden Boot while nobody has scored more than eight in the past 13 editions, a feat achieved only by Brazil’s Ronaldo in 2002 and Mbappe four years ago in Qatar. Why have so many goals been scored at World Cup 2026?
It took just 33 matches for a century of goals to be racked up in this edition, second only to 1954 in terms of pace. After Portugal’s 5-0 win over Uzbekistan on Tuesday, 139 goals had been scored across the first 45 games – the most in the group stages of a single edition of the finals, overtaking the 136 scored in 2014 in three fewer matches. The record number of goals in one edition came in Qatar 2022 with 172 from 64 games. With an extra 40 matches in the new expanded format that went into effect this year, it was always likely to be broken, but the rate of scoring suggests the old mark will be obliterated. One reason for the increase in goals might be the Adidas Trionda ball, which FIFA commissioned for this World Cup. Before the tournament, FIFA said it boasts several key performance innovations, including intentionally deep seams designed to produce optimal in-flight stability by ensuring sufficient and evenly distributed drag as the ball travels through the air – in short, it flies through the air – while the surface of the ball is designed to increase grip when striking or dribbling in wet or humid conditions, which we have seen plenty of in the opening matches. Austria head coach Ralf Rangnick said: “This ball is as fast as a cannonball. If you kick the ball in the right position, it’s extremely difficult to save.” The controversial addition of hydration breaks to each half may also mean players are performing at their peak for longer, leading to the glut of late goals so far.
The BriefWire