Messi leads World Cup 2026 scoring charts with 6 goals

The Argentine finishes the group stage two clear of his nearest rivals as the Golden Boot race takes shape.

Staff Writer

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Lionel Messi tops the 2026 World Cup scoring charts with 6 goals after the group stage closed on Sunday. Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland, Ousmane Dembélé and Vinícius Júnior sit second on 4 each as the tournament moves into the round of 32.

Key points

  • Messi leads with 6 goals after the group stage closes
  • Mbappé, Haaland, Dembélé and Vinícius Júnior are second on 4
  • The tournament continues until 19 July

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Lionel Messi heads the scoring charts at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after the group stage concluded on Sunday, with 6 goals to his name across the tournament so far.

Four players sit two goals back on 4: Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé of France, Erling Haaland of Norway, and Vinícius Júnior of Brazil.

A large group is clustered on 3 goals, including Jonathan David (Canada), Deniz Undav (Germany), Ismaël Sarr (Senegal), Harry Kane (England), Ismael Saibari (Morocco), Bryan Brobbey (Netherlands), Johan Manzambi (Democratic Republic of Congo), Mathaeus Cunha (Brazil), Elia Giusti (New Zealand), and Ruben Vargas (Switzerland).

Among the notable names on 2 goals: Jude Bellingham and Kane’s England teammate, plus Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria), Rodri (Spain), Kyle Larin (Canada), Maximilian Arnold (Uruguay), and several others.

The one-goal list spans the full breadth of the expanded 48-team field, with contributions from Mohamed Salah (Egypt), Jamal Musiala (Germany), Lamine Yamal (Spain), Arda Güler (Turkey), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium), Luis Díaz (Colombia), among many more.

On the own-goal side, Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, Egypt’s Mohamed Hany, and Saudi Arabia’s Hassan Al-Tambakti are among the 12 players to have put the ball in their own net.

The Golden Boot is awarded to the tournament’s top scorer. In the event of a tie on goals, the tiebreaker is assists, then fewer minutes played.

The round of 32 begins Sunday, with the tournament running until 19 July.