Harry Kane has thrust himself firmly into contention for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot after scoring twice in England's 2-1 comeback victory over DR Congo in their Round of 32 clash at Atlanta Stadium, Georgia on Wednesday. The brace took the England captain's tally to five goals for the tournament, drawing him level with Norway's Erling Haaland and leaving him just one behind joint leaders Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé.
Kane rescued the Three Lions from the brink of a shock exit, heading home Anthony Gordon's cross in the 75th minute before completing the turnaround 11 minutes later with a 94 km/h thunderbolt into the top corner. The brace not only booked England's place in the Round of 16 but also reignited his bid to win a second FIFA World Cup Golden Boot, having finished as the tournament's leading scorer with six goals at the 2018 edition in Russia.
Messi and Mbappé continue to set the pace on six goals apiece. The Argentina captain reached that mark with a hat-trick against Algeria, a brace against Austria and a trademark free-kick off the bench against Jordan.
ALSO READ | England Vs DR Congo Highlights: Harry Kane Brace Completes Three Lions Comeback, Seals Round Of 16 Spot
Mbappé, meanwhile, opened his campaign with a brace against Senegal before adding two more against Iraq in the group stage. After drawing a blank against Norway, the France captain struck another brace in the Round of 32 against Sweden to pull level with Messi on six goals. Mbappé, however, currently tops the Golden Boot standings by virtue of his two assists, giving him the edge over Messi on FIFA's first tiebreaker.
Haaland, meanwhile, remains on five goals after netting the winner in Norway's 2-1 Round of 32 victory over Ivory Coast. The striker announced himself on the World Cup stage with back-to-back braces in the group phase before adding another goal in the knockout rounds to keep Norway's dream campaign alive.
France also have Ousmane Dembélé in the mix on four goals. The winger ended his World Cup scoring drought against Iraq before producing a hat-trick against Norway during the group stage. Brazil's Vinícius Júnior also has four goals after scoring consecutive braces, while teammate Matheus Cunha remains on three.
If players finish level on goals, FIFA awards the Golden Boot using assists as the first tiebreaker, followed by the fewest minutes played if they remain tied.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot Standings
| Rank | Player | Country | Goals | Assists | Minutes Played |
| 1 | Kylian Mbappe | France | 6 | 2 | 378 |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 6 | 0 | 223 |
| 3 | Erling Haaland | Norway | 5 | 0 | 309 |
| 4 | Harry Kane | England | 5 | 0 | 394 |
| 5 | Ousmane Dembele | France | 4 | 2 | 304 |
| 6 | Vinicius Junior | Brazil | 4 | 1 | 398 |
| 7 | Deniz Undav | Germany | 3 | 2 | 174 |
| 8 | Johan Manzambi | Switzerland | 3 | 1 | 146 |
| 9 | Ismaila Sarr | Senegal | 3 | 1 | 274 |
| 10 | Julian Quinones | Mexico | 3 | 1 | 354 |
ALSO READ | Harry Kane Goes Past Legendary Pele In FIFA World Cup All-Time Top-Scorer List
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