Messi leads with 5 goals in 2 games, a pace of 2.5 per match

Fontaine's 1958 record of 13 goals remains untouched after 68 years

Extra game added to this tournament gives top strikers a rare arithmetic edge

Kylian Mbappé of France, Lionel Messi of Argentina and Erling Haaland of Norway, the three leading scorers in the race for the Golden Boot at the 2026 North America World Cup. [AP]
Kylian Mbappé of France, Lionel Messi of Argentina and Erling Haaland of Norway, the three leading scorers in the race for the Golden Boot at the 2026 North America World Cup. [AP]

Lionel Messi (38, Argentina), Kylian Mbappé (27, France) and Erling Haaland (25, Norway) each scored twice in their respective second group-stage matches on Tuesday (Korean Standard Time), turning the 2026 North America World Cup into a personal scoring showcase.

Defending champion Argentina's Messi added two goals against Austria to reach five in just two appearances, pulling clear at the top of the tournament scoring chart.

Mbappé also netted twice against Iraq to move to four goals, while Haaland struck twice in 15 second-half minutes against Senegal to join him on four.

The three-way race for the Golden Boot is already fierce in the group stage. With record-breaking scoring on display, attention is turning to who will finish as top scorer — and just how many goals they might end up with.

The all-time record for goals in a single World Cup tournament is 13, set by France's Just Fontaine at the 1958 Sweden World Cup. Fontaine played six matches through to the final, averaging 2.16 goals per game.

That record has gone unchallenged for 68 years. The only player to reach double figures in a single tournament since then is Gerd Müller of West Germany, who scored 10 goals at the 1970 Mexico World Cup.

From the 1974 West Germany tournament onward, no Golden Boot winner has scored more than eight goals. Ronaldo of Brazil in 2002 and Mbappé at the 2022 Qatar World Cup each claimed the award with eight.

In the modern game, 13 goals in a single tournament is considered all but unassailable. Defensive organization has grown more sophisticated, and the difficulty of matches rises sharply in the knockout rounds, making it nearly impossible for one player to score in every game throughout a tournament.

However, this edition introduces a new variable. With the field expanded from 32 to 48 nations, a round of 32 has been added to the knockout stage, meaning a team that reaches the final now plays eight matches rather than the previous seven. Messi, Mbappé and Haaland each have two more games available to them than Fontaine did when he set his record.

Messi, the current scoring leader, brought his all-time World Cup tally to 18 goals against Austria, surpassing Miroslav Klose of Germany (16 goals) to become the tournament's all-time top scorer.

Mbappé sits at 16 career World Cup goals, level with Klose, as he chases Messi. He is targeting a second consecutive Golden Boot after winning the award at the previous tournament.

For Haaland, this is his World Cup debut — and he was the driving force behind Norway's first qualification in 28 years. He has scored in 12 consecutive matches for the national team, netting 24 goals at a rate of two per game during that run.

France and Norway meet in their final group-stage match on June 27, with first place in Group I on the line — and a personal duel between the two strikers expected to add extra edge to the contest.

In Group J, Argentina, who have already secured a place in the round of 32, will look to pile on goals against a weaker Jordanian side. Whether Messi can extend his multi-goal run in that match is another storyline to watch.


yjc@heraldcorp.com