World Cup Golden Boot standings after group stage

The World Cup Golden Boot race has begun to take shape following the conclusion of the group stage at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Argentina captain, Lionel Messi, leading the scoring chart on six goals.

Messi strengthened his position after scoring in Argentina’s 3-1 victory over Jordan, taking his tournament tally to six and opening a two-goal gap over his closest challengers heading into the knockout rounds.

The World Cup Golden Boot is awarded to the tournament’s highest goalscorer, and if two or more players finish level on goals, assists serve as the first tiebreaker.

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Four players in pursuit

Four players have scored four goals after the group stage to remain firmly in contention.

France duo Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele are among the leading challengers, alongside Brazil forward Vinicius Junior and Norway striker Erling Haaland.

Dembele boosted his chances with a hat-trick against Norway, while Vinicius scored twice in Brazil’s group-stage campaign. Haaland also finished the first round with four goals despite being rested for Norway’s final group fixture.

Several players tied on three goals

The chasing pack remains within striking distance, with nine players ending the group stage on three goals.

They include Canada’s Jonathan David, Germany’s Deniz Undav, Switzerland’s Johan Manzambi, Brazil’s Matheus Cunha, Morocco’s Ismael Saibari, the Netherlands’ Brian Brobbey, Senegal’s Ismaila Sarr, New Zealand’s Elijah Just and England captain Harry Kane.

With the knockout rounds still to come, all remain capable of closing the gap in the World Cup Golden Boot race.

Knockout stage to decide winner

The knockout stage begins with the Round of 32, where every match becomes a direct elimination contest.

With several of football’s biggest stars still in the tournament, the World Cup Golden Boot race remains wide open despite Messi’s early advantage. Goals scored in the knockout rounds will determine who finishes as the tournament’s leading scorer when the World Cup concludes on July 19.

Rank	Player	Country	Goals
1	Lionel Messi	Argentina	6
2	Kylian Mbappe	France	4
2	Ousmane Dembele	France	4
2	Vinicius Junior	Brazil	4
2	Erling Haaland	Norway	4
6	Deniz Undav	Germany	3
6	Johan Manzambi	Switzerland	3
6	Ismaila Sarr	Senegal	3
6	Ismael Saibari	Morocco	3
6	Jonathan David	Canada	3
6	Matheus Cunha	Brazil	3
6	Brian Brobbey	Netherlands	3
6	Elijah Just	New Zealand	3
6	Harry Kane	England	3