The 2026 World Cup is over, and so is the race for the prestigious Golden Boot - the award given to the tournament's top scorer. With the expanded 48-nation tournament coming to a close, following a month of thrilling action in North America, which star has taken home the illustrious award? Here, GOAL lists the tournament's most prolific performers.
Four nations made debuts at the 2026 World Cup, with Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan gracing the grandest stage in international football for the first time. It was the tournament with the most newcomers since 2006 and Cape Verde achieved the feat of ending a 16-year wait for a debutant to reach the knockout stages, before succumbing to Lionel Messi's Argentina in a classic.
Former Arsenal and Sweden midfielder Stefan Schwarz has told GOAL that while Viktor Gyokeres may not be a “classy attacker”, he is finding his feet in the Premier League - as a title winner - and should be closer to his “best” during the 2026-27 campaign. The powerful frontman enjoyed a productive debut campaign at Emirates Stadium, but continues to see more forwards linked with big-money moves to north London.
France may have booked their place in the World Cup round of 16 with a dominant victory over Sweden, but the post-match celebrations have been marred by a seemingly frosty encounter between Rayan Cherki and Didier Deschamps. The Manchester City playmaker was captured on camera appearing to blank his manager at the final whistle, raising questions about the harmony within the Les Bleus camp.
Kylian Mbappe has officially moved past Brazilian legend Ronaldo in the World Cup history books after a masterclass performance in France’s 3-0 demolition of Sweden. The Real Madrid superstar netted twice to ensure Les Bleus booked their place in the round of 16 in emphatic fashion.
آير
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60)
