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World Cup

World Cup Overview

Golden Boot GFX

World Cup Golden Boot standings: Mbappe, Haaland & Messi top chart

The 2026 World Cup is well underway and so is the race for the prestigious Golden Boot - the award given to the tournament's top scorer. There's a long and winding road to be navigated as 48 nations battle for the top prize, but which star will take home the illustrious award? Here, GOAL tracks the tournament's most prolific stars.

England ratings GFX

Bellingham, you beauty! 10-man England survive Azteca onslaught

England produced one of their greatest World Cup performances to beat Mexico 3-2 on Sunday and book a place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 tournament. Jude Bellingham scored twice in the first half while Harry Kane kept himself in the Golden Boot race with a penalty as the Three Lions held on for victory despite playing the bulk of the second half with 10 men following a red card for Jarell Quansah.

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Standings

Gruppe A

PosTeamPWDLFA+/-PTSForm
1Fluminense crestFluminense650195415
W
W
W
W
L
2Vasco da Gama crestVasco da Gama632193611
W
D
W
L
D
3Volta Redonda crestVolta Redonda632195411
D
W
D
L
W
4Bangu crestBangu631277010
D
W
L
W
L
5Portuguesa RJ crestPortuguesa RJ621367-17
W
W
L
L
L

Gruppe B

PosTeamPWDLFA+/-PTSForm
1Botafogo RJ crestBotafogo RJ63036519
L
L
W
W
L
2Madureira RJ crestMadureira RJ622256-18
D
D
L
W
W
3Boavista crestBoavista622268-28
D
D
L
W
W
4Flamengo crestFlamengo621311927
W
L
W
L
L
5Nova Iguacu crestNova Iguacu612389-15
L
L
D
L
D
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Frequently asked questions

Brazil have won the World Cup five times, more than any other country. They first lifted the trophy in 1958, before successfully defending their title four years later. They then made it three in 1970, while also emerging victorious in 1994 and 2002 to show what they're made of.

The most recent edition of the World Cup, which took place in Qatar in 2022, featured 32 teams. However, from the upcoming edition in 2026, as many as 48 teams will be contesting for the ultimate prize in international football. The number of teams that will be featuring has almost quadrupled since the inaugural edition in 1930, which hosted 13 teams.

Lionel Messi holds the record of making the most appearances in World Cups, having represented Argentina 26 times across five editions.

Germany's Miroslav Klose tops the all-time goalscoring charts in World Cups, having scored an incredible 16 goals in 24 games across four consecutive editions from 2002 to 2014.

Egyptian legend Essam El Hadary is the oldest player to have ever featured in a World Cup game. The goalkeeper was 45 years and 161 days old when he participated in Egypt's 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia at the 2018 World Cup.

Former Manchester United man Norman Whiteside is the youngest player ever to play a World Cup game. The midfielder was just 17 years and 41 days old when he featured for Northern Ireland in a game against Yugoslavia at the 1982 World Cup.

The likes of Didier Deschamps, Franz Beckenbauer, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Vicente del Bosque, Vittorio Pozzo, Louis van Gaal, Sven-Goran Eriksson, and Ivica Osim are some of the most accomplished individuals to have managed at the World Cup finals.