Lionel Messi in heated World Cup Golden Boot race

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6 July 2026

By Jaime Uribarri

Lionel Messi

’s quest for a historic back-to-back championship with

Argentina

at the 2026

FIFA World Cup

comes amid an epic Golden Boot race.

Inter Miami CF

’s legendary No. 10 is neck-and-neck with fellow superstars

Kylian Mbappé

(France),

Erling Haaland

(Norway) and

Harry Kane

(England) for top goalscoring honors, adding even more intrigue to this summer’s tournament.

Here’s how the chase for the

World Cup

Golden Boot stands before Messi and

take on Egypt in the Round of 16 on Tuesday (12 pm ET | FOX, Telemundo, Peacock).

Note:

FIFA

uses the following tiebreakers to determine the Golden Boot winner:

How Lionel Messi changed soccer in North America

Mbappé has been electric for

France

, scoring a pair of braces in the Group Stage and adding another two goals in their

3-0 rout

of Sweden in the Round of 32 before scoring the lone penalty-kick goal in a

1-0 victory

over Paraguay in the Round of 16.

A 2018 champion with

Les Bleus

, Mbappé is up to 19 career

goals – one shy of Messi for the all-time record.

Messi is enjoying a

historic World Cup

at age 39, becoming the tournament’s all-time leading scorer (20 goals) while finding the back of the net for a record eight consecutive games – dating back to Argentina’s run to the 2022 title in Qatar.

He started with a hat trick vs. Algeria and has also found the net vs. Austria, Jordan and Cape Verde (Round of 32).

This comes after Messi reached the MLS season pause with a league-best 20 goal contributions (12g/8a) for Miami. He's chasing a third straight Landon Donovan MLS MVP award.

Already a global star with

Manchester City

, Haaland has become a household name in the United States this summer thanks to his magnetic personality and goal-scoring prowess.

Both were on full display during Norway’s

2-1 win

over Brazil in the Round of 16, with Haaland scoring a stunning brace and leading the country’s

Viking Row celebration

after their historic knockout-stage victory.

England’s all-time leading scorer, Kane has kept the goals coming for the

Three Lions

this summer.

The

Bayern Munich

striker has scored in four of his five starts, producing a vital 1g/1a as

England

edged co-hosts Mexico in an epic

3-2 Round of 16 victory

Mbappé and Messi lead 2026 World Cup scoring, Haaland and Kane in pursuit

OffsAIde

Messi, Mbappé and Kane join elite club with 5+ goals in two World Cup tournaments

Football Muse

World Cup 2026 Golden Boot: Mbappe vs Messi standings as Kane joins thrilling race to finish top scorer

The Independent

Anthony Gordon hails ‘phenomenal’ Harry Kane as he compares England World Cup hero to Lionel Messi

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