World Cup 2026 golden boot standings: Kai Havertz joins Folarin Balogun as early front-runners (opens original article in a new tab)

The 2026 World Cup golden boot race features top strikers like Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe, with Kai Havertz and Folarin Balogun leading the standings. The tournament's expanded format provides more opportunities for goal-scoring.

• Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, and Lamine Yamal are leading contenders for the 2026 World Cup golden boot
• Kai Havertz and Folarin Balogun are tied at the top of the golden boot standings with two goals each
• The golden boot ranking uses assists, minutes played, and goals-per-minute ratio to break ties