Winning the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot ensures a footballer’s name is etched in history, and the world’s most prolific scorers will once again aim for the honour this summer.

Here’s a look at the five leading contenders expected to challenge for the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot.

Lionel Messi will spearhead Argentina’s title defence this summer, marking an unprecedented sixth World Cup appearance. The Argentine legend guided his nation to glory in Qatar in 2022, becoming the first player ever to win multiple Golden Balls as the tournament’s standout performer.

Messi netted seven goals during that campaign but narrowly missed out on the Golden Boot to Kylian Mbappe, who scored eight. It remains one of the few individual accolades that has eluded him throughout his record-breaking career.

Erling Haaland is set to make his debut on the World Cup stage, representing Norway, who are back in the competition for the first time since 1998. Arguably the finest goalscorer in the modern game, Haaland topped UEFA’s qualification charts with 16 goals in just eight matches — more than double the next-best tally, a statistic that underlines his extraordinary scoring prowess.

Mikel Oyarzabal is expected to lead the attack for Spain this summer, especially in the absence of a traditional number nine. The forward has found the net 24 times in 52 international appearances for the reigning European champions, including six goals during qualifying. At club level, the 29-year-old has maintained consistent form, scoring 18 goals across all competitions in each of the past two seasons for Real Sociedad.

Harry Kane is among three players at this tournament — alongside Mbappe and James Rodriguez — seeking to create new history. No footballer has ever claimed the Golden Boot more than once at a World Cup, but the England skipper has his sights set on a second, following his triumph in 2018. Kane arrives in peak form after notching 61 goals in 51 appearances for Bayern Munich during the 2025/26 season.

Kylian Mbappe, meanwhile, already ranks among the competition’s all-time greats. Only five players have scored more World Cup goals than the French star, who won the 2018 edition as a teenager and even scored in the final. Four years later, his eight goals earned him the Golden Boot, including a stunning hat-trick in France’s final defeat to Argentina. Given his pedigree and consistency on the biggest stage, it’s no surprise that Mbappe enters as the favourite to claim another Golden Boot.