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.
Ruben Vargas slotted home the decisive spot-kick as Switzerland defeated Colombia 4-3 on penalties to progress to the quarter-finals of the World Cup. After one of the worst games of the tournament so far had unsurprisingly finished scoreless, Davinson Sanchez and Manuel Akanji both failed to convert from 12 yards out before Gregor Kobel saved from Cucho Hernandez to hand the advantage back to the Swiss. Vargas then stepped up to score to send the outnumbered Swiss fans in Vancouver into ecstasy and leave their Colombian counterparts devastated.
Comprehensive match preview of Switzerland vs Colombia at World Cup 2026. We talk tactics, team news and more ahead of this Round of 16 clash in Vancouver.
Colombia secured their passage to the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Ghana on a sweltering night in Kansas City. A solitary strike from Jhon Arias proved the difference as Los Cafeteros successfully navigated a physical encounter to keep their tournament dreams alive.
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.
Al Orobah
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