Lionel Messi is setting the pace in one of the most compelling Golden Boot races in World Cup history, sitting top of the scoring charts with five goals from just two games at the 2026 tournament. Along the way, the Argentine has broken Miroslav Klose’s all-time World Cup scoring record — a landmark that had stood for over a decade.
According to The Guardian’s Football Daily newsletter, Messi’s latest brace came in a 2-0 win over Austria, though the performance itself was far from sparkling. A missed penalty early in the match was a rare blemish, something that has become a recurring theme at this tournament for the otherwise peerless forward. Had Messi converted his spot-kicks, he would be sitting on 21 World Cup goals rather than 18.
Hot on his heels are Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé, both on four goals in what The Guardian describes as a thrilling duel developing in Group I. Mbappé is now level with Klose’s previous record of 16 World Cup goals across his career, just two behind Messi’s new benchmark. For Haaland, this is his debut World Cup, yet he already sits one goal behind legends such as Raúl, Romário and Roger Milla, who accumulated their five goals across entire careers.
The pair are set to meet in a group decider, which should be a fascinating watch. Check our World Cup 2026 hub for full previews and our live standings to follow the Golden Boot race as it unfolds.
Elsewhere in the scoring charts, Harry Kane bagged a brace in England’s only game so far, while Vinícius Júnior has two goals to his name for the tournament. USA talisman Folarin Balogun and Canada’s Jonathan David — strikers for two of the three host nations — have also been making their mark.
Historically, six goals has been enough to claim the Golden Boot in 10 of the last 12 World Cups, meaning Messi is nearly there already. With the expanded 2026 format handing top strikers at least one additional game compared to previous editions, The Guardian raises the intriguing possibility that Just Fontaine’s long-standing record of 13 goals in a single tournament, set in 1958, could come under pressure. A player reaching double figures for the first time since Gerd Müller’s 10-goal haul at Mexico 1970 suddenly seems far from outlandish.
For neutral fans, at least, the goals are flowing from the right names — and that makes for compelling watching regardless of wider controversies surrounding the tournament.