Messi scored his eighth goal against Egypt and became the top scorer, followed by Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé.
Published July 8, 2026
Argentina superstar Lionel Messi scored his country’s eighth goal in their 3-2 win over Egypt in the Round of 16 on Tuesday, putting them back in the lead in the World Cup Golden Boot race.
Messi’s goal also helped Argentina level the score after losing 2-0 in the game in Atlanta and break away from the rest of the pack.
Recommended stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
France goalkeeper Kylian Mbappé and Argentina great Lionel Messi were joint leaders in the competition for the competition’s top scorers with seven goals each over three days, but Haaland tied them on Sunday with a double in Norway’s round-of-16 win over Brazil.
The World Cup finals began and Messi became the first player to reach seven goals when Argentina beat Cape Verde on Friday, followed by Mbappé the following day when France beat Paraguay.
England’s Harry Kane extended his tally to six goals by scoring in England’s thrilling 3-2 win over Mexico late on Sunday.
Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal and Mbappe’s teammate Ousmane Dembele are hot on the heels with four goals each.
Here’s what you need to know about FIFA’s Golden Boot Award.
What is the FIFA Golden Boot Award and how is it determined?
The FIFA Golden Boot is awarded to the player who scores the most goals at the end of the tournament.
France’s Mbappé is the current holder after scoring eight goals in the 2022 World Cup against Qatar.
If two players are tied for the same number of goals at the end of the tournament, the player with the most assists wins the award.
If these tiebreakers cannot separate two players, the Golden Boot will go to the player with the fewest minutes of goals and assists.
Who will be the top scorer at the 2026 World Cup?
Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 8 goals, 1 assist Kylian Mbappé (France) – 7 goals, 2 assists Erling Haaland (Norway) – 7 goals, 0 assists Harry Kane (England) – 6 goals, 1 assist Ousmane Dembele (France) – 4 goals, 2 assists Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain) – 4 goals, 1 assist
How many times has a current World Cup player won the Golden Boot award?
Mbappe, Kane and James Rodriguez are all aiming to become top scorers for a second time.
England’s Kane won the award at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and Colombia’s Rodríguez was the top scorer at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
No player has ever won this award more than once.
Mbappé, who has reached the quarter-finals, will have his first chance to add to his tally when France take on Morocco on Thursday.
Who has scored the most goals in a single World Cup?
French forward Juste Fontaine holds the record for scoring an astonishing 13 goals in the 1958 tournament in Sweden.
Sandor Kocsis scored 11 goals in the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland, and West Germany’s Gerd Müller scored 10 goals in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.
Who has scored the most goals in FIFA World Cup history?
Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 21 Kylian Mbappé (France) – 19 Miroslav Klose (Germany) – 16 Ronaldo (Brazil) – 15 Harry Kane (England), Gerd Muller (West Germany) – 14
