Harry Kane
Kane holds the record for scoring 79 goals in 113 appearances for England. At the 2018 World Cup, the striker won the Golden Boot with 6 goals, helping the Three Lions finish fourth – England's best performance since 1990. Kane also won the Golden Boot at Euro 2024 with 3 goals, helping England reach the final as captain.
In the 2025-2026 season, Kane will be in top form, scoring 36 goals in the Bundesliga to win the European Golden Boot for the second time, after 2024. Before Kane, only one English striker had won this individual award: Kevin Phillips with 30 goals in the Premier League in the 1999-2000 season.
At the 2026 World Cup, England will be in Group L with Croatia, Ghana, and Panama.
Kylian Mbappe
Mbappe (in white shirt) is second on the list of top scorers in the history of the French national team (56), only behind Olivier Giroud (57). At the 2018 World Cup, he became the youngest French player to score in a World Cup, and also the second teenager in history, after Pele, to score in a World Cup final. The striker also won the Best Young Player of the World Cup and the Best French Player of the Year awards.
At the 2022 World Cup, Mbappe won the Golden Boot with 8 goals, including a hat-trick in the final against Argentina. This made him only the second player to score in two consecutive World Cup finals, after Brazil's Vava in the 1958 and 1962 tournaments.
In the 2025-2026 season, Mbappe will score 40 goals for Real Madrid in all competitions, but will not win any team titles.
At the 2026 World Cup, France will be in the same group as Iraq, Senegal, and Norway.
Erling Haaland
The Norwegian striker was the top scorer at the 2019 U20 World Cup with 9 goals – all scored in the 12-0 victory over Honduras. Since making his national team debut in 2019, he has scored 55 goals in 48 matches – breaking an 87-year-old record. The previous record belonged to legendary Juve player Jorgen Juve with 33 goals in 45 matches, set in 1937.
In the 2025-2026 season, Haaland scored 35 goals in all competitions, including winning the Premier League Golden Boot with 27 goals. The striker also scored the most goals in the qualifying rounds, helping Norway win all eight matches in Group I of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the European region, including two victories against Italy (3-0 and 4-1).
Norway has only participated in the World Cup finals twice, being eliminated in the group stage in 1994 and reaching the round of 16 in 1998. Their most recent major tournament was Euro 2000, which ended a few months before Haaland was born. At the 2026 World Cup, Norway will be in the same group as Iraq, Senegal, and France.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Having debuted for the Portuguese national team in 2003, Ronaldo currently holds the record for scoring 143 goals in 226 matches. He helped the team win their first three major titles in history, including Euro 2016 and the Nations League in 2019 and 2025, but has never won the World Cup.
The former Man Utd and Real Madrid star holds the record for scoring in five World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022). His best performance with his teammates was fourth place in 2006.
At 41 years old, Ronaldo maintained his top form with 28 goals, making a significant contribution to Al Nassr winning the Saudi Pro League in the 2025-2026 season. This is the Portuguese superstar's first official title since moving to Saudi Arabia in 2022 and also his first club title since the 2021 Italian Cup with Juventus.
At the 2026 World Cup, Portugal is in Group K with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uzbekistan, and Colombia.
Lamine Yamal
Yamal played for various youth teams before making his senior debut for Spain in 2023. At the age of 16, he became the youngest player in history to play and score for the Spanish national team. Yamal played a crucial role in Spain's Euro 2024 victory, earning him the Best Young Player award. This winger holds several international records, including the youngest player ever to appear in a European Championship final (17 years old), the youngest player to compete in a European Championship (16 years old), and the youngest player to score at a European Championship (16 years old).
In the 2025-2026 season, Yamal scored 16 goals and provided 12 assists, helping Barca win La Liga and earning him the Player of the Year award. The 18-year-old striker missed the final six rounds due to injury, but recovered in time for the 2026 World Cup. In that tournament, Spain was in the same group as Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay.
Jude Bellingham
This attacking midfielder previously played for the U15, U16, U17, and U21 teams before making his senior England debut in November 2020. Bellingham has scored 6 goals in 47 appearances and has featured in Euro 2020, 2024, and the 2022 World Cup.
In the 2025-2026 season, Bellingham's contribution was limited due to injuries. He only scored 6 goals in 28 La Liga matches and 2 goals in 9 Champions League matches. Therefore, the 22-year-old midfielder's ability to be a regular starter in Thomas Tuchel's system was questioned.
Vinicius
This striker, born in 2001, was a key player in helping the Brazilian youth teams win the 2015 South American U15 Championship and the 2017 South American U17 Championship. He was the top scorer in the 2017 South American U17 Championship with 7 goals. At the senior national team level, Vinicius scored 9 goals in 49 matches, representing Brazil in the 2021 and 2024 Copa America tournaments and the 2022 World Cup.
In the 2025-2026 season, Vinicius scored 21 goals for Real Madrid in all competitions, including 16 in La Liga and 5 in the Champions League. Although he hasn't yet replicated his explosive form at the national team level, he remains a key player in Carlo Ancelotti's system for the 2026 World Cup. Brazil is in Group C of the tournament with Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland.
Lionel Messi
Messi scored 116 goals in 198 matches – both are records for Argentinian football. Given the captain's armband since 2011, he led Argentina to three consecutive major finals: the 2014 World Cup, the 2015 Copa America, and the 2016 Copa America, but they were unable to win any of them.
After announcing his retirement from the national team in 2016, Messi decided to return and helped Argentina qualify for the 2018 World Cup. His peak came in the last five years, when Messi helped the team win the Copa America in 2021 and 2024, and the 2022 World Cup – the country's first world championship in 36 years.
The 38-year-old striker's fitness was questioned due to an injury sustained in an Inter Miami match at the end of May, but he is likely to recover in time for the 2026 World Cup. In that tournament, Argentina is in Group J with Algeria, Austria, and Jordan.
Julian Alvarez
From a promising young talent, Alvarez has risen to become one of the world's leading stars in the last four years. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he was initially considered only a backup option. At that time, the Manchester City striker was ranked behind Lautaro Martinez – who played a major role in Argentina's Copa America 2021 victory – in coach Lionel Scaloni's order of priority.
After coming on as a substitute in the first two matches (a loss to Saudi Arabia and a win against Mexico), Alvarez was given a chance to start in the final group stage match against Poland. The striker, who came through the River Plate academy, scored the goal that sealed the 2-0 victory and subsequently secured a place in the starting lineup until the final.
Alvarez is highly likely to start at the 2026 World Cup, sharing the goal-scoring burden with captain Lionel Messi.
Romelu Lukaku
Lukaku made his debut for the Belgian national team in 2010 and has participated in six major tournaments, including three European Championships (2016, 2020, and 2024) and three World Cups (2014, 2018, and 2022). At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, he won the Bronze Boot with four goals and one assist. Lukaku currently holds the record for scoring 89 goals in 124 appearances for the Belgian national team.
In the 2025-2026 season, Lukaku has consistently struggled with fitness issues, playing only a total of 69 minutes across seven appearances as a substitute for Napoli. The striker, who recently turned 33, also spent the last two months in Belgium recovering from a hamstring injury. However, Lukaku has stated that his fitness is improving significantly and he is ready for the 2026 World Cup.
Lukaku belongs to the golden generation of Belgian football, alongside stars like Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, Yannick Carrasco, and Dries Mertens. However, Belgium did not achieve the success expected, losing to Wales in the quarter-finals of Euro 2016, only winning a bronze medal at the 2018 World Cup, losing to Italy in the quarter-finals of Euro 2021, and finishing fourth in the 2021 UEFA Nations League. The peak of disappointment came at the 2022 World Cup, where they beat Canada 1-0, lost to Morocco 0-2, drew with Croatia 0-0, and were eliminated in the group stage.
At the 2026 World Cup, Belgium will be in Group G with Egypt, Iran, and New Zealand.
The next forwards expected to win the Golden Boot at the 2026 World Cup are Marcus Rashford, Rafael Leao, Bukayo Saka, Lautaro Martinez, Kai Havertz, Florian Wirtz, and Darwin Nunez.
Source: https://baohatinh.vn/10-ung-vien-vua-pha-luoi-world-cup-2026-post311990.html
