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World Cup 2026 Golden Boot: Who are the main contenders?
8 Jun 2026 15:00 BST |
4 min read
Analysis
The 2026 World Cup is upon us and the best players on the planet are set to grace our TV screens across a month of excellent international football.
The high temperatures in North America are expected to play a pivotal role in proceedings, with European nations potentially set to suffer, while a new round of 32 has been introduced due to an expanded World Cup involving 48 nations.
Spain head into the tournament as the favourites for victory, narrowly ahead of 2022 runners-up France, while Argentina will be looking to become the first country since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend the World Cup.
Below, FootballTransfers runs through the main contenders to win the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot.
Who are the contenders for the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot?
With an expanded 48-team tournament, most of the best strikers in world football will be competing at the upcoming World Cup, meaning the Golden Boot race is set to be hotly contested.
France superstar Kylian Mbappe and England hitman Harry Kane play for two of the best nations and head into the tournament hoping to add to their impressive World Cup tallies.
They will be two of the main contenders for the award, alongside Norway centre forward Erling Haaland, who will be competing in the first major international tournament of his career to date.
Haaland is in a difficult group with Senegal and France, but his Norway side face Iraq in their opening fixture, which could be an excellent opportunity for him to stake his Golden Boot credentials.
Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal has 11 goals in his last 10 caps and is expected to lead the line for the Euro 2024 winners, and will therefore be in contention for glory, while his team-mate Lamine Yamal may also be among the superstars who nets a hatful in North America.
Brazil have Raphinha, Endrick and Vinicius Junior in a stacked forward line, while the Netherlands will likely be reliant on Memphis Depay, who has 55 international goals, and Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo, who netted three times at the 2022 World Cup.
Argentina will be looking to Lautaro Martinez, Julian Alvarez and Lionel Messi for inspiration in the final third, and Germany’s hopes may be pinned on the goalscoring exploits of Arsenal forward Kai Havertz, fresh from scoring in a Champions League final for the second time in his career.
Portugal, meanwhile, will be spearheaded by Cristiano Ronaldo, although Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes will also provide immense threat from midfield.
Players such as Brahim Diaz (Morocco), Nicolas Jackson (Senegal), Luis Diaz (Colombia), Folarin Balogun (USA), Patrik Schick (Czech Republic), Breel Embolo (Switzerland), Viktor Gyokeres (Sweden) and Romelu Lukaku (Belgium) may also be in contention if they hit the ground running during the group stages.
Who are the bookies’ favourites for the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot?
| Player | Nation | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Kylian Mbappe | France | 6/1 |
| Harry Kane | England | 8/1 |
| Mikel Oyarzabal | Spain | 14/1 |
| Erling Haaland | Norway | 15/1 |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 18/1 |
| Vinicius Jr | Brazil | 20/1 |
| Lamine Yamal | Spain | 22/1 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 22/1 |
| Julian Alvarez | Argentina | 28/1 |
| Raphinha | Brazil | 30/1 |
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