Turkiye Overview

The group stage of the 2026 World Cup came to a dramatic conclusion on Saturday evening, as Austria scored a 96th-minute equaliser against Algeria to qualify for the knockout stage while simultaneously eliminating Iran, who had been set to progress as one of the tournament's third-placed finishers. Elsewhere, Lionel Messi came off the bench to help Argentina maintain their 100 percent winning record with a 3-1 victory over Jordan and, in doing so, the No.10 extended his record-breaking goals tally at the finals to 19.

The 2026 World Cup is underway and so is the race for the prestigious Golden Boot - the award given to the tournament's top scorer. There's a long road ahead as 48 nations battle for the top prize, but which star will take home the illustrious award? Here are GOAL's predicted candidates for the prize as we keep track of the tournament's most prolific stars