Estadio Azteca, Mexico City – Source: Unsplash
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is fast approaching. In less than six months, North America will open its doors to the world as the United States, Canada, and Mexico co-host the biggest edition of the tournament in history. And it’s the latter of that co-hosting trio who will raise the curtain.
El Tri will welcome South Africa to Mexico City on June 11th to kick off the tournament in a repeat of the 2010 opener held in Johannesburg. Siphiwe Tshabalala’s legendary goal opened the scoring on that afternoon in Soccer City, only for Mexican skipper Rafael Marquez to bundle home a late equalizer and secure a share of the spoils. Will we be treated to a similarly iconic opener this time around? We don’t have long to wait to find out.
One thing that is for certain is that if you plan on winning the World Cup, you need a reliable goalscorer up front. We saw that first hand four years ago as Lionel Messi netted seven goals – the second most of anybody in Qatar – en route to claiming the crown and coronating himself as the best player that’s ever lived in the process. But who are the favorites to top the scoring charts this summer? Let’s take a look.
Kylian Mbappé
Kylian Mbappé’s scoring record at the World Cup needs to be studied. He claimed the golden boot award in Qatar with eight goals as he led France to a second straight final, a game in which the Real Madrid hitman scored a blistering hat trick. The mercurial Frenchman already has 12 goals in football’s most iconic tournament, tied for sixth most all-time with Brazilian icon Pelé.
What’s more impressive is that he has only featured in two editions of the competition. To put that into perspective, it has taken Lionel Messi five tournaments to net 13 goals. With a scoring record like that, it’s no surprise to see that online betting sites make Mbappé the favorite to repeat as the Golden Boot winner this summer.
The popular betting site https://www.luckyrebel.la/sportsbook lists the 27-year-old as a 6/1 favorite to finish as the top scorer in North America, and it’s hard to argue with him getting top billing. And while it would certainly take a brave punter to bet against him, France aren’t the juggernaut they were in 2018. Their midfield is functional but hardly inspired, and Didier Deschamps runs systems so conservative they’d make José Mourinho blush.
Still, Mbappé’s the favorite for a reason, and with five goals enough to make him the tournament’s all-time top scorer, he will certainly be more motivated than ever before.
Harry Kane
Harry Kane scores goals. Always. It’s like death, taxes, and England finding new ways to break your heart—some things just are.
The English skipper claimed the Golden Boot in 2018, with his six goals leading his country to a first World Cup semifinal in 28 years. He followed that up by leading his beloved Three Lions to back-to-back European Championship finals, both of which ended in defeat. 2026 feels like now-or-never for England, ending 60 long years of hurt, and if that wasn’t motivation enough, Kane has been in blistering form at club level.
The Bayern Munich striker finished 2025 with 50 goals in a calendar year, a personal record that sounds absurd until you realize it’s Kane we’re talking about. He’s already got 20 goals in 16 Bundesliga appearances this season and hit 82 Bundesliga goals in 79 games total—a pace that took the late Gerd Müller 113 matches to match.
If he can carry that form into the World Cup, Kane could well find himself hoisting the famous gold trophy in MetLife Stadium on July 18th. The bookies make England an 11/2 second-favorite to win the tournament, while their fabled captain is 7/1 to win the Golden Boot.
Lionel Messi
Cue the violins, the montages, the insufferable “one magical last dance” narratives that’ll dominate every pre-tournament preview. At the age of 38 – he’ll turn 39 midway through the tournament – Lionel Messi does indeed step onto the grandest stage for one final time, and he does so as a defending champion. His blistering efforts in Qatar at the ripe old age of 36 defied logic, winning the tournament for the first time and Argentina’s third time overall.
Defying logic is something that Messi has done throughout his storied career. But can he do it one final time a year before his 40th birthday? It would require a superhuman effort.
The bookies make Messi a 12/1 shot to claim the Golden Boot, some way behind both Mbappé and Kane. But he was the top scorer in all of the South American qualifying section, despite his advancing years. Add to that the fact that he needs just four goals to surpass Miroslav Klose as the tournament’s all-time top scorer, and he too will be motivated like never before.
Can he break another record and scoop the golden boot to bring the curtain down on a glittering career? It would take a brave punter to bet against the GOAT.
