The favorite to win the Golden Boot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup? Well, he wasted little time showing why he’s favored and then some.
In France’s World Cup opener, superstar striker Kylian Mbappé scored two goals, and while he was already favored to win the Golden Boot at +550 entering the match, those odds moved all the way down to +220.
With his historic performance on Tuesday, Mbappé is now France’s all-time leader in goals with 58, while also moving to third-place on the all-time Men’s World Cup goal list.
Then, not long after, Erling Haaland matched Mbappé’s performance with two goals of his own in his World Cup debut, leading Norway to a 4-1 win in its first World Cup appearance since 1998.
Haaland has now scored at least one goal in 17 of his 20 official matches with Norway since the start of 2023. He has 30 goals in that span.
After his brace, Haaland has surged up the oddsboard from +1200 to +500.
Could the Golden Boot turn into a two-horse race?
Let’s dive into the updated odds at FanDuel Sportsbook as of June 16.
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Kylian Mbappé: +220 (bet $10 to win $32 total)
Erling Haaland: +500 (bet $10 to win $60 total)
Harry Kane: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)
Kai Havertz: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Lionel Messi: +1900 (bet $10 to win $200 total)
Julián Alvarez: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Cristiano Ronaldo: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Folarin Balogun: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total)
Vinícius Júnior: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total)
Mikel Oyarzabal: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
Lautaro Martínez: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Lamine Yamal: +3500 (bet $10 to win $360 total)
Romelu Lukaku: +4500 (bet $10 to win $460 total)
Cody Gakpo: +4500 (bet $10 to win $460 total)
Michael Olise: +4500 (bet $10 to win $460 total)
France earned a 3-1 win over Senegal on Tuesday, with Mbappé scoring at 66′ and 90+6′, in what couldn’t be a better start for his campaign to win a second consecutive Golden Boot.
No player has ever won two Golden Boots at the World Cup, let alone win the award consecutively.
Mbappé is France’s most accomplished active player and became the national team’s captain after the 2022 World Cup. As mentioned, he won the Golden Boot at that tournament with eight goals, including a hat trick in the final, and played a key role in France’s 2018 World Cup title.
One striker that will look to remain close on Mbappé and Haaland’s heels is the USA’s Folarin Balogun, who scored twice in the Americans’ 4-1 win over Paraguay to open the tournament.
Here’s some context on his performance provided by FOX Sports Research:
