Haaland’s double against Brazil took him to seven goals, the same number as Messi and Mbappe at the top of the table.
Updated: an hour ago
Erling Haaland has joined Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe on the leaderboard for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot.
For three days, French talisman Kylian Mbappe and Argentine great Lionel Messi had been linked as joint leaders (with seven goals each) in the race to be the tournament’s top scorer, but Haaland’s brace in Norway’s round of 16 win over Brazil put him level with both on Sunday.
Recommended Stories
list of 4 itemsend of list
As the World Cup knockout stages began, Messi became the first to score seven goals as Argentina beat Cape Verde on Friday, with Mbappe equaling him a day later as France beat Paraguay.
England’s Harry Kane will have the chance to add to his five goals when England take on Mexico in their round of 16 tie on Sunday.
Brazil’s Vinicius Junior, Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal and Mbappe’s teammate Ousmane Dembele are hot on their heels with four goals each.
Here’s everything you need to know about the FIFA Golden Boot award:
Argentina’s Lionel Messi scores six goals in North America (Tim Heitman/Reuters)
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.
The current title holder is Frenchman Mbappe, who scored eight goals in Qatar at the 2022 World Cup.
If at the end of the tournament two players score the same number of goals, the player with the most assists will receive the award.
If these tiebreakers cannot separate the two players, then the Golden Boot is awarded to the player who achieved their goals and made an assist in the fewest minutes.
Erling Haaland celebrates after the match as Norway progressed to the round of 16 (Issey Kato/Reuters)
Which players are the top scorers at the 2026 World Cup?
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 7 goals, 0 assists
- Erling Haaland (Norway) – 7 goals, 0 assists
- Kylian Mbappe (France) – 7 goals, 2 assists
- Harry Kane (England) – 5 goals, 0 assists
- Ousmane Dembele (France) – 4 goals, 2 assists
- Vinicius Junior (Brazil) – 4 goals, 1 assist
How many Golden Boot awards have current World Cup players won?
Mbappe, Kane and James Rodriguez are hoping to win the top scorer award for a second time.
Englishman Kane won the award in 2018 in Russia, and Colombian Rodriguez became the top scorer in 2014 in Brazil.
No player has ever won this award more than once.
Can Cristiano Ronaldo win the Golden Boot this year?
The Portuguese star has slowly worked his way up the standings, scoring three goals in four matches. But to win, he needs to start scoring more goals, and fast.
If Portugal want to progress further in the tournament, they will be counting on their captain to score more goals.
Which player scored the most goals in one World Cup?
French striker Juste Fontaine holds the record, scoring an incredible 13 goals in the 1958 tournament in Sweden.
Sándor Kocsis scored 11 points at the 1954 tournament in Switzerland, and Gerd Müller of West Germany scored 10 points at the 1970 World Championships in Mexico.
Germany’s Miroslav Klose celebrates after scoring a goal against Argentina during the 2006 World Cup quarter-final match in Berlin (File: Reuters)
Who scored the most goals in the history of the FIFA World Cup?
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 20
- Kylian Mbappe (France) – 19
- Miroslav Klose (Germany) – 16
- Ronaldo (Brazil) – 15
- Gerd Müller (Germany) – 14