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One of the most popular future bets ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup concerns the potential Golden Boot winner. With some of the best forwards in the world taking part in the tournament, here’s our analysis regarding which players are the most likely candidates to win the Golden Boot in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.
World Cup Golden Boot Odds: Who Are the Favorites?
Odds as of May 27, 2026. Claim SBD’s Kalshi referral code to get a bonus for the World Cup
When analyzing which players are the favorites to lead the 2026 FIFA World Cup in goals, there are two players who appear to be at the consensus top of the Golden Boot odds: Kylian Mbappe (France) and Harry Kane (England).
Mbappe and Kane make perfect sense to be near the top of this list. Considering that more matches equal more chances to score, and that both France and England are among the favorites in our World Cup odds, Kane and Mbappe should be the main scoring references in two of the tournament’s top teams. The numbers at the club level back both players to have a huge World Cup as well.
Mbappe was the leading scorer in the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League with 15 goals, but he also added 25 goals in 31 LaLiga matches. Across all competitions, Mbappe tallied 42 goals in 44 matches for Los Merengues. Considering all the talent France has at its disposal, Mbappe should be able to have at least a few scoring chances per game.
As for Kane, he was the second-best scorer in the Champions League with 14 goals in 13 appearances, but he also averaged over one goal per game in the Bundesliga (36 goals in 31 appearances) and the DFB-Pokal (10 goals in six contests). All things considered, Kane had 61 goals in 51 matches. That was the best average (by a wide margin) across the Top 5 leagues in Europe.
Longshots to Win World Cup Golden Boot
From an individual perspective, Haaland is right up there with Kane and Mbappe after winning the Golden Boot in the Premier League with 27 goals. But does Norway have what it takes to make a deep run in the World Cup knockout stages, thus enhancing the chances of Haaland of being a potential Golden Boot winner?
As talented as Norway is, the Scandinavians don’t have the depth of quality to make a deep run, thus limiting Haaland’s chances of earning Golden Boot honors. But if there’s one darkhorse to be tipped to make a strong run, that’s Norway. Haaland scored 38 goals across all competitions for Manchester City in the 2025-26 season.
Surprisingly, Mikel Oyarzabal ranks quite highly in the Golden Boot odds, per Kalshi, but his positioning is a bit tied to his role as the starting forward for a contending team like Spain rather than him being a coveted world-class striker.
The Real Sociedad star, who netted 15 goals in 34 LaLiga matches with his club in the 2025-26 LaLiga season, ranks ahead of his teammate Lamine Yamal, and he’s also ahead of other potential Golden Boot dark-horses such as Raphinha (Brazil), Cody Gakpo (Netherlands), Ousmane Dembele (France), and Julian Alvarez (Argentina), just to name a few. Dembele is a player worth keeping close tabs on in case he plays on the same striker role he’s had at PSG, but sharing the pitch with Mbappe will limit his scoring potential.
Could Ronaldo, Messi Win World Cup Golden Boot?
It’s impossible to leave the star duo of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi out of the group of potential Golden Boot winners, but let’s be honest for a second. They’re not the same players they were four years ago, let alone during the prime of their careers.
Ronaldo is 41 years old and Messi is 39, and both are playing in lower-league competitions such as the Saudi Pro League and Major League Soccer, respectively. They’ll probably lead the attack of their respective teams, but trusting them to end as top scorers of the tournament might be too much to ask for two of the best players to ever step on a soccer field.
But both Messi and Ronaldo have proven doubters wrong in the past. Don’t be surprised if they have One Last Dance in the 2026 FIFA World Cup while leading their countries to deep tournament runs.
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