2026 World Cup Golden Boot Odds, Favorites & Past Winners
The World Cup Golden Boot award is presented to the player who has scored the most goals across the tournament.
Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Boot at the 2022 World Cup, scoring eight goals in total, including a hat-trick in France’s defeat on penalties to Argentina in the final.
Below, we’ll analyze recent World Cup Golden Boot winners and their stats, and look at the favorites and underdogs to win the Golden Boot at the 2026 World Cup..
World Cup Golden Boot History
Here is a breakdown of the previous 10 World Cup Golden Boot winners, and how many goals they scored in each tournament.
Year - Player - Nationality - Goals
- 2022 - Kylian Mbappe - France - 8
- 2018 - Harry Kane - England - 6
- 2014 - James Rodriguez - Colombia - 6
- 2010 - Thomas Muller - Germany - 5
- 2006 - Miroslav Klose - Germany - 5
- 2002 - Ronaldo - Brazil - 8
- 1998 - Davor Suker - Croatia - 6
- 1994 - Oleg Salenko & Hristo Stoichkov - Russia & Bulgaria - 6 Goals Each
- 1990 - Salvatore Schillaci - Italy - 6
- 1986 - Gary Lineker - England - 6
World Cup 2026 Golden Boot Favorites
- Kylian Mbappe +600
- Harry Kane +750
- Erling Haaland +1500
- Lionel Messi +1500
- Mikel Oyarzabal +1600
Kylian Mbappe
Odds: +600
France striker Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Boot at the 2022 World Cup, scoring eight goals as he led his nation to the final. Mbappe scored a hat-trick in the final against Argentina, but it wasn’t enough for France to lift the trophy, as Lionel Scaloni’s side won on penalties.
Mbappe arrives at the World Cup after an excellent campaign at Real Madrid, where he scored 25 goals in 31 LaLiga appearances. France are expected to progress deep into the World Cup, and Mbappe is a worthy favourite for the Golden Boot.
Harry Kane
Odds: +750
Harry Kane won the Golden Boot at the 2018 World Cup, as he helped England to the semi-final stage. Kane scored six goals in that tournament, including a hat-trick against Panama in the group stage - who are also in England’s group for the 2026 tournament.
Kane had an excellent season for Bayern Munich, scoring 36 goals in 31 Bundesliga matches in the 2025/26 campaign.
Erling Haaland
Odds: +1500
The 2026 World Cup will be Erling Haaland’s first appearance at the tournament, and Norway’s first time at a World Cup since 1998. Haaland was on fire in Norway’s World Cup qualifying campaign, scoring 16 goals. Kane, Memphis Depay, and Marko Arnautovic were the second top scorers in World Cup qualifying, with eight goals each, half of Haaland’s total. The Norway striker won the Premier League Golden Boot last season, scoring 27 league goals.
Lionel Messi
Odds: +1500
Lionel Messi was narrowly beaten to the Golden Boot at the 2022 World Cup by Kylian Mbappe, Messi scored seven goals, and Mbappe managed eight. The 2026 tournament is set to be Messi’s final World Cup with Argentina, and he will want to deliver a strong display. Messi has scored 12 goals in 14 MLS matches for Inter Miami so far this season.
Mikel Oyarzabal
Odds: +1500
Mikel Oyarzabal is among the favorites for the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot, following a strong season for Real Sociedad, where he scored 15 LaLiga goals in 34 appearances. Oyarzabal also scored the winning goal in Spain’s 2-1 win in the final of Euro 2024, and with Spain the current favorites to win the World Cup, he should get plenty of chances to score goals.
World Cup 2026 Golden Boot Outsiders
- Julian Alvarez +3000
- Kai Havertz +3500
- Bruno Fernandes +4000
- Cody Gakpo +4000
- Ferran Torres +4000
Julian Alvarez
Odds: +3000
Julian Alvarez scored four goals for Argentina in the 2022 World Cup, helping his nation lift the trophy for the third time in their history. Alvarez has scored 25 goals in 66 LaLiga matches for Atletico Madrid over the past two seasons, and has established himself as one of the best soccer players in the world. He is rumoured to be looking for a transfer ahead of the new season, and will want to impress at the World Cup.
Kai Havertz
Odds: +3500
Kai Havertz missed a large portion of last season for Arsenal through injury, but finished the campaign strongly, scoring in Arsenal’s Champions League final defeat to PSG, and in their final home match of the season. The Germany roster doesn’t have a recognised starting striker on paper, and Havertz is set to be their spearhead in attack.
Bruno Fernandes
Odds: +4000
Bruno Fernandes had an excellent season for Man United, being crowned the Premier League Player of the Season after scoring nine goals and providing 21 assists in the league. Fernandes scored two goals in four matches at the 2022 World Cup, and with Portugal having a strong roster for the 2026 tournament, Fernandes could play a leading part again.
Cody Gakpo
Odds: +4000
Despite Cody Gakpo having a poor season for Liverpool last term, with just seven goals in 36 league appearances, he always plays a starring role for Netherlands. Gakpo was the joint-top scorer at Euro 2024, with three goals. Gakpo also scored four goals in eight World Cup qualifying matches for his nation, and with the Netherlands roster looking weak in attacking areas, he could take on the brunt of attacking responsibility.
Ferran Torres
Odds: +4000
Ferran Torres had a prolific season for Barcelona, scoring 16 LaLiga goals in 33 matches as his side won the league. He also scored 10 goals in 27 league games the season before, as Barcelona won the title once more. Spain are the favorites to win the World Cup, with Torres expected to start on the left flank.