The World Cup Golden Boot race is so wide open it doesn’t even have a clear-cut favorite right now.That’s because most of the big stars of the tournament have gotten off to red-hot starts.France’s Kylian Mbappé showed off at a World Cup again with two goals on Tuesday, including arguably the goal of the tournament with his second against Senegal.
Kylian Mbappé out of nowhere 🤯
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 16, 2026Mbappé came into this event as the favorite, and understandably so, having won the Golden Boot at the last tournament in 2022. But the competition appears very strong this time around.Erling Haaland answered with two for Norway in a 4-1 win against Iraq in his first World Cup game.Not to be topped, Lionel Messi netted a hat trick in Argentina’s 3-0 win against Algeria. Messi has done just about everything in his career by now, but he hasn’t won a Golden Boot yet. He led the goal-scoring race entering Thursday’s matches.Then on Wednesday, Harry Kane, who won the Golden Boot in 2018, scored twice in England’s 4-2 win against Croatia.So, who is the current favorite to finish as the top scorer? Well, almost all of them.On FanDuel, Kane is favored (+310). DraftKings has Messi as the favorite (+300). BetMGM has Mbappé and Messi as co-favorites (+275). Haaland is fourth in the odds at all three sportsbooks.
