The race for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot has intensified after the completion of the second round of group-stage matches, with Argentina captain Lionel Messi establishing himself as the clear frontrunner.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has scored five goals and provided zero assists so far, placing him clear at the top of the standings.

Messi opened his tournament with a hat-trick and followed it up with two more goals in Argentina’s second group match.

France captain Kylian Mbappé and Norway striker Erling Haaland sit immediately behind on four goals each.

Mbappé ranks second and Haaland third, with both players yet to register an assist.

The tiebreaker between them was decided by minutes played, in line with FIFA’s Golden Boot criteria.

Golden Boot standings: Top 30 highest goal scorers at 2026 World Cup

1. Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 5 goals, 0 assists
2. Kylian Mbappé (France) – 4 goals, 0 assists
3. Erling Haaland (Norway) – 4 goals, 0 assists
4. Deniz Undav (Germany) – 3 goals, 2 assists
5. Jonathan David (Canada) – 3 goals, 0 assists
6. Crysencio Summerville (Netherlands) – 2 goals, 1 assist
7. Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain) – 2 goals, 1 assist
8. Maxi Araújo (Uruguay) – 2 goals, 1 assist
9. Ayase Ueda (Japan) – 2 goals, 1 assist
10. Cody Gakpo (Netherlands) – 2 goals, 1 assist
11. Vinícius Júnior (Brazil) – 2 goals, 1 assist
12. Johan Manzambi (Switzerland) – 2 goals, 0 assists
13. Brian Brobbey (Netherlands) – 2 goals, 0 assists
14. Matheus Cunha (Brazil) – 2 goals, 0 assists
15. Cyle Larin (Canada) – 2 goals, 0 assists
16. Daichi Kamada (Japan) – 2 goals, 0 assists
17. Folarin Balogun (United States) – 2 goals, 0 assists
18. Ismael Saibari (Morocco) – 2 goals, 0 assists
19. Yasin Ayari (Sweden) – 2 goals, 0 assists
20. Ismaïla Sarr (Senegal) – 2 goals, 0 assists
21. Elijah Just (New Zealand) – 2 goals, 0 assists
22. Kai Havertz (Germany) – 2 goals, 0 assists
23. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) – 2 goals, 0 assists
24. Harry Kane (England) – 2 goals, 0 assists
25. Daniel Muñoz (Colombia) – 2 goals, 0 assists
26. Alexander Isak (Sweden) – 1 goal, 3 assists
27. Mohamed Salah (Egypt) – 1 goal, 2 assists
28. Nathan Saliba (Canada) – 1 goal, 1 assist
29. Ruben Vargas (Switzerland) – 1 goal, 1 assist
30. Ousmane Dembélé (France) – 1 goal, 1 assist.