Lionel Messi and Jonathan David are the current leading top scorers of the 2026 World Cup.

The race for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot has already heated up right from the group stage. After briefly holding the sole leading position, Lionel Messi now shares the top spot on the interim top scorers ranking with Canadian forward Jonathan David.

Jonathan David's outstanding performance during Canada's 6-0 demolition of Qatar in the Group B fixture catapulted him to the peak of the goalscoring charts. The Lille striker netted a hat-trick that secured the largest win ever recorded by Canada in their entire World Cup participation history.

Prior to this, Lionel Messi had already taken the lead in the goalscoring race following a sensational display during Argentina's 3-0 thrashing of Algeria.

David successfully matching Messi's goal tally proves that the 2026 World Cup is not only hosting competition between national teams, but also an intense duel between elite clinical finishers across all continents.

Just below the leading pair, multiple players have recorded 2 goals each. The latest name to enter this race is Johan Manzambi. The young Swiss forward delivered an excellent performance as his national side defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina with a 4-1 scoreline.

Manzambi is currently level on goals with Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland, who had previously notched two goals for France and Norway respectively.

From the host nation camp, United States forward Folarin Balogun has also joined the tight competition after scoring a brace during his side's 4-1 win against Paraguay.

With the group stage still far from completed, the race for the World Cup Top Scorer award at 2026 is predicted to grow significantly more fierce.

Interim 2026 FIFA World Cup Top Scorers List

3 Goals
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Jonathan David (Canada)

2 Goals
Johan Manzambi (Switzerland)
Harry Kane (England)
Kylian Mbappé (France)
Erling Haaland (Norway)
Folarin Balogun (United States)
Kai Havertz (Germany)
Yasin Ayari (Sweden)
Elijah Just (New Zealand)