Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Other Favourites to Win 2026 World Cup Golden Boot
- Opta has predicted the top five players who could win the Golden Boot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup
- The list features some of the best goal scorers in the world, including the European Golden Shoe winner
- The tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada will run from June 11 to July 19, 2026
The expanded 48-nation 2026 FIFA World Cup will run from June 11 to July 19, 2026, in the United States of America, Mexico and Canada.
The biggest tournament in the history of the competition will feature some of the best national teams and football players in the world.
Source: Getty Images
Top footballing nations, including France, Spain and defending champions Argentina, amongst others, are seen as favourites to win the tournament.
A major award at the tournament is the Golden Boot, which is awarded to the top scorers, and Opta has predicted some names who could win.
As noted by the Olympics, recent winners except James Rodriguez in 2014 have reached the final or semi-final, hence the names listed are those whose countries are predicted to have a deep run.
Legit.ng looks at the favourites to win the Golden Boot, as called by The Analyst.
World Cup Golden Boot favourites
Harry Kane
Kane is the best goalscorer in the world currently, and he is heading into the World Cup having scored 72 goals for club and country in all competitions, including 61 for Bayern Munich.
The former Premier League star will lead England to the tournament under the guidance of Thomas Tuchel and expects to beat their run of a semi-final and quarter-final finishes in 2018 and 2022.
Erling Haaland
The Manchester City forward was influential in helping Norway qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1998, scoring 16 goals in eight matches during the qualifiers.
Haaland won his third Premier League Golden Boot in four seasons, scoring 27 goals heading into the tournament and is one of the names anyone would think of to win the top-scorer award at the Mundial.
Kylian Mbappe
Mbappe had a trophyless season at Real Madrid, but individually, he had a standout season, scoring 42 goals in all competitions, winning both the La Liga and UEFA Champions League Golden Boots.
The versatile forward is entering his third World Cup as the current holder of the Golden Boot with eight goals in Qatar, including a hat-trick in the final. If he maintains his current scoring average, he will overtake Miroslav Klose as the all-time World Cup top scorer.
Lionel Messi
Messi has never won the World Cup Golden Boot even though he is high on the list of the all-time top scorers with 13 goals, including seven in Qatar.
Source: Getty Images
Argentina is one of the favourites to win the World Cup again this year, and with how he has adapted his game as he advances in age, he could be the main man getting the goals for Lionel Scaloni’s side.
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Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo is set to feature at a joint record sixth FIFA World Cup alongside Messi and Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, but has scored only eight goals despite scoring in every edition.
The Al-Nassr star has redefined his goalscoring in his old age, and as he chases his record of becoming the first player to score 1,000 official goals, he is certainly one to watch for the Golden Boot.
Honourable mentions: Julian Alvarez, Ousmane Dembele, Raphinha.
EA Sports predicts World Cup winner
Legit.ng previously reported that EA Sports predicted the World Cup winner, having correctly simulated the winner of the previous four editions.
The gaming giant’s prediction that Spain will win the 2026 FIFA World Cup aligns with Opta’s supercomputer, which backs La Roja at 16%.
Source: Legit.ng
