Messi breaks all-time World Cup scoring record to lead golden boot race with five goals

Lionel Messi has broken the all-time World Cup scoring record and leads the 2026 golden boot standings with five goals, pulling clear of a chasing pack that includes Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland.

The Argentina captain opened his account with a hat-trick against Algeria before adding a record-breaking brace against Austria, cementing his place at the summit of the scoring charts at the first-ever 48-team World Cup.

Germany’s Deniz Undav sits second on three goals with two assists, giving him the edge over Canada’s Jonathan David, who also has three goals but no assists recorded. The tiebreaker system ranks players level on goals by assists first, then by minutes played and goals-per-minute ratio.

A large group of players are locked together on two goals. Vinicius Jr, Cody Gakpo, Crysencio Summerville, Mikel Oyarzabal, Maximiliano Araujo and Ayase Ueda each have two goals and one assist, placing them fourth through ninth. Kane, Mbappé and Haaland are among a further 13 players on two goals without an assist, with Kane having scored a first-half brace against Croatia and Mbappé netting a double against Senegal.

The expanded 48-team format introduces a round of 32 ahead of the traditional last-16 stage, giving the tournament’s top scorers an additional match in which to build their tallies before the knockout rounds begin in earnest.

World Cup 2026 golden boot standings

1. Lionel Messi (Argentina) — 5 goals
2. Deniz Undav (Germany) — 3 goals (2 assists)
3. Jonathan David (Canada) — 3 goals
4. Vinicius Jr (Brazil) — 2 goals (1 assist)
5. Cody Gakpo (Netherlands) — 2 goals (1 assist)
6. Crysencio Summerville (Netherlands) — 2 goals (1 assist)
7. Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain) — 2 goals (1 assist)
8. Maximiliano Araujo (Uruguay) — 2 goals (1 assist)
9. Ayase Ueda (Japan) — 2 goals (1 assist)
10. Harry Kane (England) — 2 goals
11. Matheus Cunha (Brazil) — 2 goals
12. Erling Haaland (Norway) — 2 goals
13. Kylian Mbappé (France) — 2 goals
14. Kai Havertz (Germany) — 2 goals
15. Folarin Balogun (USA) — 2 goals
16. Brian Brobbey (Netherlands) — 2 goals
17. Daichi Kamada (Japan) — 2 goals
18. Yasin Ayari (Sweden) — 2 goals
19. Elijah Just (New Zealand) — 2 goals
20. Johan Manzambi (Switzerland) — 2 goals
21. Ismael Saibari (Morocco) — 2 goals
22. Cyle Larin (Canada) — 2 goals