England captain Harry Kane ignited the race for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot by scoring a brilliant late brace against DR Congo, drawing level with Erling Haaland and closing in on Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe at the top of the scoring chart.
Kane's Late Heroics Lift England
Kane scored in the 75th and 86th minutes to secure a 2-1 victory for England after DR Congo had taken the lead through Brian Cipenka in the seventh minute. The win propelled England into the Round of 16.
With five goals in the tournament, Kane now shares third place with Haaland. The England captain also scored a brace in England's opening 4-2 win over Croatia and added a goal in a 2-0 victory over Panama, though he failed to find the net in a goalless draw against Ghana.
Mbappe Leads with Six Goals
Kylian Mbappe tops the Golden Boot standings with six goals in four matches, along with two assists. The French star opened with a brace in a 3-1 win over Senegal, scored twice more in a 3-0 victory against Iraq, and netted another double in a 3-0 Round of 32 win over Sweden. He did not score against Norway in the group stage.
Mbappe's six goals in the 2026 tournament bring his all-time World Cup tally to 18, placing him second on the all-time scorers list, behind only Lionel Messi, who has 19 career World Cup goals.
Messi Ties Mbappe with Six Goals
Lionel Messi matched Mbappe's six goals with a hat-trick against Algeria, a brace against Austria, and a goal against Jordan. At 38 years and 357 days, Messi became the oldest player in men's World Cup history to score a hat-trick, surpassing Ronaldo's record set at the 2018 World Cup, according to Fox Sports.
Messi's hat-trick against Algeria included a long-range strike, a close-range finish, and a curling effort. He also scored in Argentina's 2-0 win over Austria and their 3-1 victory over Jordan. With his goal against Jordan, Messi moved to 19 career World Cup goals, the most by any player in tournament history. He has no assists so far, trailing Mbappe in the tie-breaker.
Haaland and Dembele in Pursuit
Erling Haaland has five goals, starting with braces against Iraq and Senegal, and a goal against Ivory Coast in the Round of 32. He did not score against France in the group stage. Norway will face Brazil in the Round of 16.
Ousmane Dembele of France is fourth with four goals and two assists, including a hat-trick against Norway. Brazil's Vinicius Junior also has four goals but only one assist, placing him fifth.
As the World Cup enters the Round of 16, the Golden Boot race remains tight, with Mbappe and Messi leading but Haaland, Kane, Dembele, and Vinicius Junior within striking distance.
