The FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot race has a new three-way tie at the top after Erling Haaland scored twice in Norway’s Round of 16 clash against Brazil on Sunday. The Norwegian striker found the net in the second half to reach eight goals in the tournament, drawing level with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé in one of the most competitive scoring battles in recent World Cup history.
Mbappé had joined Messi atop the standings on Saturday after converting a penalty against Paraguay to register his eighth goal of the competition. The Argentina captain had previously taken sole possession of first place with a goal against Cape Verde, but the France star quickly matched him as the knockout rounds began.
Haaland has now added his name to the top of the leaderboard. The Norway striker delivered a decisive performance against Brazil, scoring twice to keep his nation’s World Cup dream alive and transform the Golden Boot race into a three-way deadlock.
The battle for the tournament’s top individual scoring honor remains wide open. Harry Kane sits just behind the leading trio with five goals, while Ousmane Dembélé, Mikel Oyarzabal, Vinícius Júnior and Ismaïla Sarr remain within striking distance as the competition moves toward the quarterfinals.
World Cup 2026 top scorers table LIVE
| Erling Haaland (Norway) | 8 | 0 |
| Kylian Mbappé (France) | 8 | 2 |
| Lionel Messi (Argentina) | 8 | 0 |
| Harry Kane (England) | 5 | 0 |
| Ousmane Dembélé (France) | 4 | 2 |
| Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain) | 4 | 1 |
| Vinícius Júnior (Brazil) | 4 | 1 |
| Ismaïla Sarr (Senegal) | 4 | 1 |
| Deniz Undav (Germany) | 3 | 2 |
| Johan Manzambi (Switzerland) | 3 | 1 |
| Julián Quiñones (Mexico) | 3 | 1 |
| Cody Gakpo (Netherlands) | 3 | 1 |
| Brian Brobbey (Netherlands) | 3 | 0 |
| Folarin Balogun (United States) | 3 | 0 |
| Matheus Cunha (Brazil) | 3 | 0 |
| Elijah Just (New Zealand) | 3 | 0 |
| Jonathan David (Canada) | 3 | 0 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) | 3 | 0 |
| Ismael Saibari (Morocco) | 3 | 0 |
| Kai Havertz (Germany) | 3 | 0 |
Who is leading the World Cup 2026 Golden Boot race?
The Golden Boot race is now shared by three of the game’s biggest stars. Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé are all level on eight goals as the tournament heads into the quarterfinal stage.
Mbappé currently holds the advantage in FIFA’s first tiebreaker thanks to his two assists. Neither Messi nor Haaland has recorded an assist so far, meaning the France captain would be awarded the Golden Boot if the tournament ended today.
With several matches still to play, however, the race remains completely open. Haaland’s stunning brace against Brazil has dramatically altered the standings and ensured that the battle for the World Cup’s most prestigious individual scoring award will remain one of the tournament’s biggest storylines.
