We’re at that stage of the season now where form is absolutely crucial for those players wanting to do well at the World Cup. It’s a time where both fans and players are on the edge of their seats, desperate to see performances that excite, but also hoping not to see their star man pick up an injury.
That’s especially the case with strikers, with goals so crucial to a knockout tournament, they can be the difference between a group stage exit or a deep run into the finals. This year's 2026 edition, held in North America, provides a real portfolio of contenders vying for this summer's prestigious Golden Boot.
For strikers, having that on a CV is like hitting the jackpot. By their nature, goalscorers are selfish, and having this trophy in their collection is like hitting the jackpot in an online social casino. But who are the players destined to throw their chips and go all-in this summer? We take a look at the main contenders for the Golden Boot…
Harry Kane
Kane won the Golden Boot back in 2018 and is the favourite to do so once again after a fine season in the strip of Bayern red. At the time of writing, he’s netted over a goal a game for the Bavarians this season and is arguably the world’s most prolific goalscorer.
His goals will be vital for England in their quest to end 60 years of hurt, and his form for the Three Lions of late has been excellent, bagging nine in nine during the friendlies and qualification campaign. Aged 32, it could well be his last World Cup as the main man, so he’ll be sure to want to make it count in the USA.
Kylian Mbappe
Much of France’s progress in the tournament will be down to how much they can get out of their talisman, Kylian Mbappe. He’s been on fire for Real Madrid this term, and has even surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo's tally of goals in his debut season at Los Blancos.
Mbappe has scored key goals in big World Cup games in the past and knows what’s expected of him, even scoring a hat-trick in the final four years ago. He was only the second player ever to do that, after Geoff Hurst. A record he can share despite the pain of Les Bleus eventually losing out to Argentina. Those goals helped him pick up the Golden Boot last time in 2022, and bookies are jointly, alongside Kane, backing him to do that again over in the States.
Lionel Messi
This summer will mark 20 years since Lionel Messi’s World Cup debut, and remarkably, he’s never won the Golden Boot. He finished second in 2022 with seven goals and will be keen to go one better this time. If he does, it's expected that Argentina will be in and amongst the latter stages of the tournament, aiming to join Italy and Brazil as the only nations to achieve back-to-back World Cup wins.
Argentina’s group will certainly offer up opportunities for Messi to boost his goal tally, with La Albiceleste facing Algeria, Austria and Jordan. They are expected to breeze through the group stage, with some suggesting the script has been written for him to end his international career with 2 World Cups and 4 for Argentina. It would be fitting, wouldn't it!?
Erling Haaland
One man who will certainly want to prove himself on the very biggest stages is Erling Haaland. Norway haven’t appeared at a major tournament since 2000, but feels their current squad could really ruffle some feathers.
Haaland is at the heart of that, and he’ll need to be firing on all cylinders if they are to progress particularly deep. But then again, when does he not have his shooting boots on? Despite what’s been considered a quiet season for him at Manchester City, he’s still notched up 28 goals in 36 games in all competitions and sits as the Premier League’s top scorer.
In 2025, he has bagged 17 goals in nine games for Norway, 16 of those in World Cup qualifying. It's time to see Haaland on the world stage, and he's aiming to fire his nation to somewhere special.
Lamine Yamal
Not an out-and-out goalscorer, but then again Spain don’t really use those, do they? Goals come from all over the pitch, but you expect Yamal to be one of the standout players of the tournament, with a few also tipping him to be well amongst the assist charts too.
He’s fifth favourite with the bookies to take the Golden Boot, with his record hovering around a goal every other game for both club and country. So it’s certainly an outside bet, but one that could pay off should Spain do what they usually do and go far into the tournament.
Cristiano Ronaldo
When talking of goals, we, of course, have to throw in the man with 961 career goals. In what will certainly be his last World Cup, aged 41, he’ll be going all out to get his hands on the World Cup trophy, not only to solidify his legacy but also his nation's too. A Seleção das Quinas have never won the iconic trophy, and CR7 will be hungry for goals and starving for the World Cup honour.
Despite his age and moving to Saudi Arabia, he’s still finding the net regularly for the national team, netting eight times in 2025, including some big goals in qualifying, and there’s no doubt he’ll be amongst them in the group stage, where they take on Uzbekistan and Colombia, as well as a play-off winner. It truly would be a fairytale if Portugal and particularly Ronaldo can achieve global glory.