The 2026 FIFA World Cup is in full swing, and the competition is heating up. With the Golden Boot race already underway, the tournament is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in recent memory. But is this the greatest Golden Boot race ever? And what does it mean for the players involved? Let's take a closer look.
Is This the Greatest Golden Boot Race Ever?
As Lionel Messi drove towards the Algerian goal in the opening minutes of Argentina’s eventual 3-0 win on Tuesday night, it felt as if the crowd did not just stand in anticipation of the goal — he would score it, of course — but in the knowledge that this might be the last glimpse of the 38-year-old playing at the World Cup. In my opinion, this adds an extra layer of intrigue to the Golden Boot race. The fact that Messi is still competing at this level at his age is remarkable, and it makes the race even more compelling.
The list of 21st-century winners is a roll-call of the great and good — Ronaldo, Miroslav Klose, Thomas Muller, James Rodriguez, Harry Kane, and Kylian Mbappe. But what makes this race stand out is the depth of talent in the chase group. Trailing Messi by one goal are Mbappe and Kane, both former winners themselves, as well as Norway’s Erling Haaland, who also has an argument to be the world’s best striker on current form. Rounding out the chase group is the USMNT’s Folarin Balogun, after a superb performance against Paraguay.
What’s more, amid the frenetic pace of the tournament’s opening, it seems that a far larger number of goals than previous editions may be needed to win it. Over the past six tournaments, the average number scored by the Golden Boot champion has been 6.3 — and well, Messi is almost halfway there already. The record in a single World Cup was set by France’s Just Fontaine, who hit 13 goals in six matches in 1958. The last male player to score 10 goals in a single World Cup was Gerd Muller back in 1970. Fifty-six years on, it looks as if this year’s winner may need to match that feat.
Is This a Tournament Too Far for Ronaldo?
On the day he joined Messi in appearing at his sixth World Cup, Ronaldo’s introduction to this tournament could not have been more opposed. Portugal were poor as a collective in their 1-1 draw against DR Congo — failing to record a shot on target after Joao Neves’ sixth-minute opener. But part of the reason why they looked poor as a collective was a tactical outlook which appeared designed to feed the ball to Ronaldo’s feet, rather than exploit DR Congo’s undefended seams. As legendary forward Thierry Henry said on Fox News post-match: “The team needs to score, not you need to score.”
In my opinion, this highlights a deeper issue with Ronaldo’s involvement in the tournament. At club level, PSG duo Joao Neves and Vitinha are the strongest midfield in world football. In front of them, Bruno Fernandes just won Premier League Player of the Season. Bernardo Silva just signed for Real Madrid after a glittering spell at Manchester City. Ronaldo was the only starting outfield player who is not playing in Europe’s top five leagues. But instead, as manager Roberto Martinez tried to find a winner, he took those options off and left Ronaldo on.
This was a sight that had been seen before — most notably when Portugal exited their last major tournament on penalties after drawing 0-0 with France at the Euros two summers ago. Now, they are doing the same thing again — and expecting different results. It’s a reminder that, while Ronaldo is still a world-class player, he may not be the best fit for every team.
The World Went Wild for England. Are They the Standout Performers So Far?
“That was the best game of the World Cup,” proclaimed German tabloid Bild. “Thank you for these 90 minutes. What a spectacle! What a festival!” For much of the 2000s, English football overestimated itself. Proclamations of tournament wins, of golden generations, were followed by penalty shootout losses and quarter-final exits. The football itself was rarely exciting.
Perhaps the lingering effects of that feeling are why, twenty years on, English football has flipped the other way, and begun to underestimate its own ability. Heading into the tournament, a lot of analysis hinged on perceived difficulties England faced — a question mark at left-back, the players left at home, the absence of a metronomic midfielder — rather than the depth and quality they did possess. But this England performance, in beating Croatia 4-2, was different.
Despite their aging legs, Croatia are still a high-quality side — committed, well-organised, and exceptionally mentally strong. For a period of the second half, England’s onslaught resembled a Premier League side taking on a nursing home. The key was finding their wide players early and in space — a privilege afforded by the regularity and fizz of their line-breaking passes. Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke are not England’s most high-profile attackers, but both looked empowered by their centrality to the gameplan. Jude Bellingham meanwhile, in a battle for his position with Morgan Rogers, was outstanding in large spaces. Even Declan Rice’s set-pieces were exciting.
Put it together, and England’s attacking performance, given the quality of the opposition, was arguably the strongest of the tournament so far — making the world take notice. For them, the only disappointment was the concession of two sloppy first-half goals, for which they were shredded by head coach Thomas Tuchel at half-time. But given a choice of issues, lax concentration or a blunt attack, Tuchel will be pleased with the path England chose. One is far easier to fix than the other.
What to Know About Thursday’s Games
Two World Cup hosts are in action as both Canada and Mexico look to build on positive starts. Canada are in with a very realistic chance of their first World Cup win when they play Qatar in Vancouver, both sides having drawn their opening games — with the home support’s fan march to their side’s opener in Toronto one of the highlights of the first week. Later tomorrow evening, Mexico and South Korea will play to effectively decide the winner of Group A. South Korea’s comeback win last week came despite star player Son Heung-min struggling to finish his chances, with the 2002 semi-finalists tricky opponents for Mexico amid the noise and humidity of Guadalajara.
Wednesday’s first game will be seen as an opportunity by both Czech Republic and South Africa to put themselves in pole position to qualify as a third-place finisher with a win, while after that, Switzerland have the opportunity to rebound from a disappointing opening draw with Qatar as they face Bosnia & Herzegovina. Fixtures: Group A: Czech Rep v South Africa (12pm ET; 5pm BST); Group B: Switzerland v Bosnia (3pm ET; 8pm BST); Group B: Canada v Qatar (6pm ET; 11pm BST); Group A: Mexico v South Korea (9pm ET; 2am BST).
In conclusion, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is shaping up to be one of the most exciting tournaments in recent memory. With the Golden Boot race already underway, the competition is heating up, and the players involved are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. But is this the greatest Golden Boot race ever? Only time will tell.
