Golden Boot Race Tightens Ahead of World Cup Quarter-Finals

The fight for the World Cup Golden Boot is one of the closest ever.

Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and Erling Haaland each have seven goals as they head into the quarter-finals. There is hardly a shot separating these three top strikers of our time.

Mbappe took the lead first by scoring a penalty in France's 1-0 win over Paraguay in the Round of 16. That goal brought him to seven.

Messi had scored the day before against Cape Verde in Argentina’s thrilling extra-time win. His goal also made him the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history.

Haaland was the last to reach seven goals, netting two in Norway’s amazing 2-1 upset of Brazil. This win secured a spot for Norway in the quarter-finals.

This is the first time in World Cup history that three players have scored seven or more goals at this stage of the tournament.

If they remain tied until the final, the rules for breaking the tie start with assists, then minutes played. Right now, Mbappe has the edge in this area.

Harry Kane is close behind with six goals. He helped England come back from being a goal down against Mexico, scoring a penalty in a 3-2 win that sent the Three Lions to the quarter-finals.

The England captain won the Golden Boot in 2018 with six goals. He has already matched that number with three matches still to play. This makes him the closest competitor to the leaders.

Several players are chasing with four goals each: Jude Bellingham, who scored twice against Mexico; Ousmane Dembele, who had a stunning hat-trick against Norway in the group stage; and Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal.