The World Cup 2026 has officially kicked off now, and soon we’ll see some of the top Golden Boot contenders like Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe in action.

Mbappe won the top scorer prize at the 2022 World Cup, scoring eight times, including a hat-trick in France’s final defeat to Argentina.

Four years before that, Kane was the winner as he scored six goals, but could we still see veterans like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in contention?

See below for a list of the top ten contenders for the World Cup Golden Boot as the bookies have picked the most likely candidates, with some money to be made if you use a Fanduel promo code…

Kylian Mbappe – 6/1

Mbappe had another prolific season with Real Madrid, even if his goals didn’t help his club to glory. Playing alongside such a world class pool of talents in this France squad, though, it’s hard not to see Mbappe getting a very good opportunity to both win the World Cup and the Golden Boot this summer.

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Harry Kane – 7/1

A lethal striker showing no sign of slowing down with age, Kane is probably England’s most important player, so seems a decent shout for the Golden Boot, even if Thomas Tuchel’s squad as a whole is arguably not looking quite as strong as recent tournaments.

Mikel Oyarzabal – 10/1

Not the biggest name or best striker on this list, but Mikel Oyarzabal has shown he can do the job up front for Spain, who will be seen as another of the favourites to win the tournament this summer.

Erling Haaland 16/1

Norway will be an interesting dark horse to watch this summer, precisely because of the threat of Erling Haaland up front. The Manchester City striker had a prolific qualifying campaign, scoring a remarkable 16 goals, and finding the back of the net in every game on their way to the World Cup. Surely decent odds for the Golden Boot?

Lionel Messi – 16/1

Not the goal machine he once was, but underestimate Lionel Messi at your peril.

Cristiano Ronaldo – 20/1

Now 41 years of age, Cristiano Ronaldo will be like a man possessed at what will surely be his last chance to win the World Cup, so could that see him really step up and scoop the top scorer prize?

Julian Alvarez – 20/1

Aside from Messi, Julian Alvarez could be the main goal threat to watch out for in this Argentina squad after two prolific seasons with Atletico Madrid.

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Kai Havertz – 22/1

Not exactly an out-and-out striker, but Kai Havertz is Mr Reliable for both Arsenal and Germany, plus he missed so much of the season just gone due to injury that he’s actually had more rest than most of the other players at this tournament.

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Lamine Yamal – 25/1

The undisputed gem in this Spain side, could we about to see Lamine Yamal enjoy a memorable first World Cup? He’s more of a creator than a goal-scorer, but these look like tempting odds.

Raphinha – 28/1

Finally, one of the most prolific goal-scoring wingers in the game right now, Raphinha will surely be one to watch if Brazil have a good tournament.

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Tournament favourites Spain ground to a shock 0-0 draw with Cape Verde to open their World Cup campaign, with the African side securing their first ever point on the world stage at the first time of asking. The Blue Sharks held Spain at arms’ length for most of their encounter, as evidenced by a remarkable statistic to emerge from the game.

While Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha, 39 years of age, made a total of seven saves during the match, but he did not finish the game being peppered by efforts from La Roja. Although it was backs to the wall defending, they looked capable of holding Spain at bay throughout, who were unable to get their forwards into the game.

Mikel Oyarzabal sets unwanted World Cup record

That was epitomised by Mikel Oyarzabal, who came into the game on a run of 10 goal contributions in eight games in qualifying. Yet the Real Sociedad forward started at nine, and could not get into the match. Opta have reported that Oyarzabal was the first player in World Cup history, since records began in 1966, to go for thirty minutes without touching the ball.

0 – Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal is the first player on record since 1966 to play the first 30 minutes of a FIFA World Cup match without touching the ball once.

Peripheral. pic.twitter.com/Ym5xi1ufbg

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 15, 2026

When he finally did, it was a loose first touch that broke down a half-chance, with Oyarzabal looking to get a shot off. He finished the game with 25 touches, getting five shots off and making 10 passes, eight of which were successful.

Spain’s attacking issues against Cape Verde

Although Oyarzabal did not have a great game, it was symptomatic of their performance overall than just the Basque forward’s contribution. With Gavi and Ferran Torres out wide for the first 70 minutes, La Roja could not stretch their opposition, and there was little space in the final third. Luis de la Fuente will no doubt hope the return to fitness of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams will go some way to remedying that.

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