Major League Soccer

· 6 July 2026

By Jaime Uribarri

Lionel Messi’s pursuit of a historic consecutive championship with Argentina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup has taken on an added layer of excitement, as he finds himself in a fierce contest for the coveted Golden Boot.

The Inter Miami CF icon, wearing his famous No. 10 jersey, is locked in an exhilarating race with global stars Kylian Mbappé of France, Erling Haaland of Norway, and Harry Kane of England for the tournament’s top scorer honour. This competition has significantly heightened the anticipation surrounding this summer’s World Cup.

As Messi and Argentina prepare to face Egypt in the Round of 16 on Tuesday (12 pm ET | FOX, Telemundo, Peacock), here’s a look at how the Golden Boot standings currently shape up.

Note: FIFA applies the following tiebreakers to determine the Golden Boot winner:

1. Most assists

2. Fewest minutes played

Mbappé has been in scintillating form for France, registering two braces during the Group Stage, followed by another two goals in France’s commanding 3-0 victory over Sweden in the Round of 32. He then netted the decisive penalty in a tense 1-0 win against Paraguay in the Round of 16.

The 2018 World Cup winner with Les Bleus now boasts 19 career World Cup goals — just one short of Messi’s record, putting him within touching distance of history.

At 39, Messi is enjoying a record-breaking World Cup campaign. He has become the tournament’s all-time leading scorer with 20 goals and has scored in eight consecutive World Cup matches — a streak that began during Argentina’s title-winning run in Qatar in 2022.

Messi opened this tournament with a hat-trick against Algeria and has since found the back of the net against Austria, Jordan, and Cape Verde in the Round of 32.

His World Cup form follows an impressive Major League Soccer season, where he entered the mid-season break with a league-best 20 goal contributions (12 goals and 8 assists) for Miami. He is also in contention for a third consecutive Landon Donovan MLS MVP award.

Meanwhile, Manchester City’s prolific striker Erling Haaland has captivated fans in the United States this summer, combining his dynamic personality with his goal-scoring excellence.

Haaland’s brilliance was on full display during Norway’s 2-1 triumph over Brazil in the Round of 16, where he scored a spectacular brace and led a jubilant Viking Row celebration following their historic knockout-stage win.

England captain Harry Kane, the nation’s all-time top scorer, has been equally influential for the Three Lions throughout the tournament.

The Bayern Munich forward has scored in four of his five starts, contributing a crucial one goal and one assist in England’s thrilling 3-2 Round of 16 victory over tournament co-hosts Mexico.