World Cup 2026: Messi leads Mbappe, Haaland, others in Golden Boot race

Argentina captain, Lionel Messi, has eased into the early lead in the race for the Golden Boot, awarded to the top scorer at the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The Inter Miami forward scored a hat-trick in Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Group J rivals Algeria at Kansas City Stadium in the early hours of today.

The three goals moved him level with Germany legend Miroslav Klose as the tournament’s all-time leading scorer.

Several big names are on the shoulders of Messi, with Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland having both struck twice in France’s 3-1 win against Senegal and Norway’s 4-1 victory against Iraq, respectively, on Tuesday.

World Cup top scorers so far:

Three goals: Lionel Messi (Argentina)

Two goals: Folarin Balogun (USA),

Yasin Ayari (Sweden),

Kai Havertz (Germany),

Elijah Just (New Zealand),

Erling Haaland (Norway), and

Kylian Mbappe (France).