Only four nations remain in the 2026 World Cup, but there’s still plenty left to be decided. FIFA’s attempt to ensure the four top-ranked nations in their rankings would reach the Semifinals has proven fruitful, giving us two star-studded matches this week.
Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi will be hoping to lead France and Argentina to a 2022 World Cup rematch in the Final, and in doing so remain atop the Golden Boot race. But England looks to crash the party, and with it, potentially see Harry Kane or Jude Bellingham make a late charge for the award.
Below, we’ll break down the top players for the Golden Boot race based on the favorites via PrizePicks Team Picks and explain why they might end up as the top goalscorer at the 2026 World Cup as we head into the knockout rounds.
During the 2026 World Cup, you can make predictions on players like Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi to win the Golden Boot, score goals in individual matches, and more on PrizePicks.
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2026 World Cup Golden Boot Race Standings: Who Has the Most Goals?
England’s defeat of Norway on Saturday saw Erling Haaland eliminated from Golden Boot contention, but also introduced a new contender into the mix. Jude Bellingham scored twice for the Three Lions, which saw a massive shift in his implied payout.
As we approach the end of the tournament, additional considerations must be taken into account. First, it’s important to know the tiebreakers.
If the goalscoring lead is shared among multiple players, the primary tiebreaker is goals assisted. If needed, the next tiebreaker would be which individual has played the fewest minutes.
Secondly, every player remaining is now guaranteed two possible matches. The losers of the Semifinals would face off on Saturday, July 18, in the third-place fixture.
Goals in this match count towards the final Golden Boot standings, and the matches tend to be much more relaxed than one with larger implications. However, there’s always the possibility of heavy rotation in that fixture.
In terms of the leaderboard, Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi are tied for first among all goal scorers with 8, while England’s Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham sit 2 back with 6 goals apiece. Ousmane Dembélé has 5 goals and is an outsider at this point.
Here are the full Golden Boot race standings entering the World Cup Semifinals, with tiebreakers taken into account.
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2026 World Cup Golden Boot Winners List, History
Here is a complete list of past World Cup Golden Boot winners for comparison to the current standings. Please note, this year’s World Cup is expanded to 48 teams, which means an additional round of matches in the knockout stage — and more upside for goals.
The award for the World Cup’s top goal scorer was officially given out for the first time at the 1982 World Cup, where it was called the Golden Shoe. In 2010, the award was renamed the Golden Boot.
Results below will only track since the award was created in 1982. That said, the record for most goals in a World Cup is Just Fontaine in 1958, who scored 13 goals for France.
- 2022: Kylian Mbappé, France – 8 Goals
- 2018: Harry Kane, England – 6 Goals
- 2014: James Rodríguez, Colombia – 6 Goals
- 2010: Thomas Müller, Germany – 5 Goals
- 2006: Miroslav Klose, Germany – 5 Goals
- 2002: Ronaldo, Brazil – 8 Goals
- 1998: Davor Šuker, Croatia – 6 Goals
- 1994: Oleg Salenko, Russia – 6 Goals; Hristo Stoichkov, Bulgaria – 6 Goals
- 1990: Salvatore “Totò” Schillaci, Italy – 6 Goals
- 1986: Gary Lineker, England – 6 Goals
- 1982: Paolo Rossi, Italy – 6 Goals
2026 World Cup Golden Boot Race Predictions, Pick to Win
Here are three players to consider for your 2026 World Cup Golden Boot picks on PrizePicks Team Picks heading into the knockout rounds, led by Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi.
Kylian Mbappé, France – 8 Goals
Kylian Mbappé World Cup Golden Boot Winner Payout: Yes 1.56x | No 2.32x
Mbappé’s goal against Morocco not only pulled him level with Messi in terms of total goals; his assist on their second goal gave him a massive tiebreaker edge. He’s now sitting on 3 assists in the competition, 1 ahead of Messi, and has also played 12 fewer minutes.
That last part is critical. It’s unlikely either player would come off in their Semifinal match, even if it went the full 120 minutes. This gives him an advantage moving forward.
The matchup with Spain also elevates his opportunities. France is at their best when attacking directly, and they lead all nations at the tournament with 3.67 direct attacks and 2.17 fast breaks per match.
Spain wants to have the ball and pushes their fullbacks up in possession. This could create plenty of space for Mbappé and the other French forwards to attack with pace, putting pressure on Spain’s slower central defenders.
If France are to defeat Spain, there's a good chance that Mbappé will be on the scoresheet.
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Lionel Messi, Argentina – 8 Goals
Lionel Messi World Cup Golden Boot Winner Payout: Yes 2.85x | No 1.38x
It took extra time for Argentina to defeat Switzerland, but for the first time all tournament, Messi was held in check. He assisted a goal but failed to score for the first time in his last 11 World Cup matches.
Messi did not attempt his first shot until stoppage time, when the Swiss were down to 10 men. He also put just 1 shot on target, coming in the 112th minute, and attempted just 1 shot inside the penalty area from 4 attempts.
Messi’s 0.25 xG was his lowest of the tournament, as the Swiss defended him brilliantly and forced others to beat them. Switzerland played a tight, compact shape that did a phenomenal job of collapsing on Messi when he got on the ball, limiting him to just 4 touches in the box from 101 total in the match.
Whether England can replicate that remains to be seen, but the blueprint to limit his impact now exists. Either way, the situation for Messi is interesting.
Were Argentina to lose, it could set up a situation where the third-place match would be Messi’s final match at a World Cup. While he’d otherwise likely get rotated, this is a spot where he could get a swan song in a match with more open play.
Should he get on the board against England and reach the Final, his payout could shorten quite a bit.
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Jude Bellingham, England – 6 Goals
Jude Bellingham World Cup Golden Boot Winner Payout: Yes 33.33x | No N/A
Harry Kane has a better implied payout, but Jude Bellingham is making a real push for Golden Boot contention. The two have each scored 6 of England’s 13 goals, and his brace against Norway moved them into the Semifinals.
Of the four main contenders, Bellingham has attempted the fewest shots (17), put the fewest on target (11), and scored the most goals vs. expected (+3.38) of the entire group. He’s scored 4 of his goals over the last two matches, operating in almost a support striker role, crashing the box late, and capitalizing on the attention paid to Kane.
He would need to have another big match, as tiebreakers aren’t in his favor. Bellingham has notched only 1 assist, although he’s played fewer minutes than Mbappé, Messi, and Kane.
Thomas Tuchel has found a way to motivate and unlock Bellingham, who is in his best form in an England shirt. Were that form to continue against Argentina, both a Golden Boot and a Golden Ball could well be possibilities for the midfielder. According to PrizePicks Team Picks, Bellingham has the third-shortest payout to win the Golden Ball (5x).
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Make World Cup Golden Boot Winner Predictions on PrizePicks
We are down to the final four nations at the 2026 World Cup, and two epic Semifinal matchups will play a big role in deciding the Golden Boot winner.
With Mbappé, Messi, Kane, and Bellingham all vying for the top spot, who will step up and find the back of the net, helping lead their team to the Final?
No matter who you think scores the most goals in the 2026 World Cup, you can make your Golden Boot prediction on PrizePicks and get paid if you’re right.
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