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Editor's note: Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Boot race for the 2026 World Cup with 10 goals. The graphics below have been updated to reflect the final statistics, but the article copy is left as it appeared prior to the final and third-place match.
The Golden Boot race has been a thrill so far in the 2026 World Cup.
Led by superstars Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, the award, given to the tournament’s top goal scorer, is still up for grabs this year.
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Messi and Mbappe both have eight goals as of July 15, while England’s Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are close behind with six apiece.
Erling Haaland scored seven, but England eliminated Haaland and his Norwegian team in the quarterfinals.
Ties are broken by assists. Messi currently has four assists, Mbappe three, and Kane and Bellingham have one each.
Notably, should either Messi or Kane win the race, they’ll become the oldest to ever win the Golden Boot. Messi is 39, while Kane is 32.
No one has ever won the Golden Boot past the age of 30 — the oldest to do so was 30-year-old Davor Suker of Croatia, whose six goals gave him the Golden Boot for the 1998 World Cup.
If you can't see the graphic above, click here to view.
However, Messi and Kane still must outscore Mbappe and Bellingham, both of whom are more closer to traditional Golden Boot winning ages. Mbappe is 27, while Bellingham is 23.
The top scorers so far at the 2026 World Cup already have a couple of Golden Boots to their names, too.
Kane won the 2018 crown with six goals. Mbappe won in 2022 with eight.
No player has won the Golden Boot twice.
There’s also another twist to this year’s race: The all-time single World Cup goal scoring record.
Messi matched the pace in the group stage of Just Fontaine’s 13 goals, which was set in the 1958 World Cup over the course of six games.
However, the scoring pace of Messi and the rest of 2026's top scorers has tapered off in the knockout rounds.
If you can't see the graphic above, click here to view.
Through July 13, Messi and Mbappe are averaging 1.14 goals per game. Assuming they both play in their teams' third-place game or the final, they would only top nine goals.
England's duo of Bellingham and Kane are averaging under one goal apiece with one game left for the squad.
So despite the final teams playing eight games across the tournament — up from seven in past World Cups — Fontane's record might be safe for another tournament.
All of the four remaining teams will play in the final or third-place game.
The third-place match between England and France is scheduled for Saturday, July 18 at 5 p.m. ET in Miami. The final between Spain and Argentina is set for Sunday, July 19 at 3 p.m. ET in Rutherford, New Jersey.
Methodology note: Historical Golden Boot data from the Fjelstul World Cup Database. 2026 data from FIFA match reports and Stats Perform.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who will win the Golden Boot? These stars could break World Cup record
