Superstar Tuesday delivered in a way few could have imagined.
Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland — three of the biggest stars in the world — combined for seven goals, completely reshaping the 2026 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot race in a matter of hours.
With his first career World Cup hat trick, Messi tied Miroslav Klose for the most goals in men's World Cup history with 16, while also setting the record as the oldest player (38) to record a hat trick, passing Cristiano Ronaldo.
As a result, Messi's odds to win the Golden Boot soared from +1900 to +250. He is now the favorite to win the award.
Not to be outdone, Mbappé reminded everyone why he entered the tournament as the betting favorite. The French superstar scored twice in his World Cup opener, as he became France's new all-time leader in goals with 58.
Mbappé’s brace shortened his Golden Boot odds from +550 to +195. They now sit at +270.
Later in the day, Haaland delivered a statement performance of his own. Making his World Cup debut, the Norwegian striker scored twice in a 4-1 victory as Norway made its first World Cup appearance since 1998.
His two-goal performance also shortened his Golden Boot odds from +1200 to +700.
As the first matches of the group stage are set to conclude on Wednesday, the Golden Boot race is already shaping up to be historic.
Let's dive into the updated odds at FanDuel Sportsbook as of June 16.
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Golden Boot Winner 2026
Lionel Messi: +250 (bet $10 to win $35 total)
Kylian Mbappé: +270 (bet $10 to win $37 total)
Erling Haaland: +700 (bet $10 to win $80 total)
Harry Kane: +950 (bet $10 to win $105 total)
Kai Havertz: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)
Cristiano Ronaldo: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total)
Folarin Balogun: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total)
Mikel Oyarzabal: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
Vinícius Júnior: +2700 (bet $10 to win $280 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 to the guys at the top of the board 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:
- Balogun recorded his first multi-goal game for the U.S.
- Balogun became the second American man ever to score two goals in the first half of a World Cup match, and the first since 1930 (Bert Patenaude).
- Bert Patenaude scored a hat-trick that game in 1930, and it also came against Paraguay; he is the only American man to have a hat-trick in a World Cup match.
- This was Balogun's first World Cup appearance, meaning this was his first time scoring in the World Cup.
- Balogun became the first American man to have multiple goals in a World Cup game since Patenaude in 1930.
- Balogun became the fifth U.S. man with multiple career World Cup goals (Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Bert Patenaude, Brian McBride)
