World Cup Golden Boot race tightens with three-horse race going into quarterfinals

The 2026 World Cup has narrowed from 48 teams down to just eight as every goal now carries twice the weight in the race for the Golden Boot. 

The Round of 16 provided plenty of drama and excitement as Golden Boot leader Lionel Messi and Argentina were on the precipice of crashing out of the tournament before they rallied from a two-goal deficit against Egypt in the final 11 minutes for a shocking 3-2 victory. 

Messi scored the equalizer and reclaimed his lead atop the race ahead of France superstar Kylian Mbappé.

Norway’s Erling Haaland scored a brace in Norway’s stunning upset over five-time world champions Brazil.

England captain Harry Kane is up to six goals after scoring against Mexico, but his teammate, Jude Bellingham, scored twice in that match and is not far behind. 

The biggest development may not be who scored, but who won’t score again.

Brazil’s elimination ended Vinícius Júnior’s hopes of making a late charge. Spain’s victory over Portugal officially closed the book on Cristiano Ronaldo’s final Golden Boot pursuit, while the exits of the United States and Mexico eliminated Folarin Balogun and Julián Quiñones from contention.

The list of challengers is shrinking almost as quickly as the tournament field itself.

Now the spotlight shifts to the quarterfinals, where this three-horse race between Messi, Mbappe, and Haaland can either continue or see one, both, or all three eliminated. 

History suggests the eventual winner usually will come from a team playing in the final. With only eight nations still standing, it can only be one of a handful of players. For now, the chase belongs to Messi. 

Here’s the current Golden Boot standings (through the Round of 16):

8 goals

• Lionel Messi, Argentina

7 goals

• Kylian Mbappé, France
• Erling Haaland, Norway

6 goals

• Harry Kane, England

4 goals

• Mikel Oyarzabal, Spain
• Ousmane Dembélé, France
• Jude Bellingham, England

Every match of the FIFA World Cup will air on either FOX or FOX Sports 1. If you don’t have cable, you can take advantage of a DIRECTV free trial to stream it all.

Prefer to check out the action live and in person? Shop World Cup 2026 tickets on SeatGeek and make sure to use promo code NYPOST10 for $10 off purchases over $250 at checkout if you’re a first-time SeatGeek user.

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