The race for the Golden Boot is officially on fire! United States Men National Team (USMNT) superstar Folarin Balogun leads the global charge, after becoming the first man to bag a brace at this year’s tournament. Already setting the 2026 World Cup alight, his blistering two goals proved golden in the co-hosts’ 4-1 dismantling of Paraguay. Hover, the FC Monaco striker isn’t sitting at the summit alone.
Germany’s lethal talisman Kai Havertz, Sweden’s midfield sensation Yasin Ayari and New Zealand’s winger Elijah Just have matched the American’s early pace. The trio fired in spectacular doubles for their respective nations in the opening matches. While Havertz spearheaded an emphatic 7-1 rout of Curaçao, Ayari orchestrated a 5-1 dismantling of Tunisia and Elijah showed class with an impressive brace in his country’s 2-2 draw against Iran.
Behind the leading trio, the tournament has quickly transformed into a star-studded shootout. An astonishing 36 players across the globe have already found the back of the net just once in this action-packed opening round. The elite group includes global icons like Brazil’s dazzling forward Vinicius Junior and towering Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk, proving that every single goal will be crucial in this summer’s historic tournament.
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
|
Folarin Balogun |
United States | 2 |
| Kai Havertz | Germany |
2 |
|
Yasin Ayari |
Sweden | 2 |
|
Elijah Just |
New Zealand | 2 |
|
Hwang In-beom |
South Korea | 1 |
|
Raul Jimenez |
Mexico | 1 |
|
Oh Hyeon-gyu |
South Korea | 1 |
|
Julian Quinones |
Mexico | 1 |
|
Ladislav Krejci |
Czech Republic | 1 |
| Gio Reyna | United States | 1 |
| Cyle Larin | Canada | 1 |
| Jovo Lukic | Bosnia & Herzegovina | 1 |
| Mauricio | Paraguay | 1 |
| Breel Embolo | Switzerland | 1 |
| Vinicius Junior | Brazil | 1 |
| Ismael Saibari | Morocco | 1 |
| John McGinn | Scotland | 1 |
| Nestory Irankunda | Australia | 1 |
| Connor Metcalfe | Australia | 1 |
| Boualem Khoukhi | Qatar | 1 |
| Nico Schlotterbeck | Germany | 1 |
| Jamal Musiala | Germany | 1 |
| Nathanial Brown | Germany | 1 |
| Denis Undav | Germany | 1 |
| Felix Nmecha | Germany | 1 |
| Livano Comenencia | Curacao | 1 |
| Virgil van Dijk | Netherlands | 1 |
| Crysencio Summerville | Netherlands | 1 |
| Keito Nakamura | Japan | 1 |
| Daichi Kamada | Japan | 1 |
| Amad Diallo | Ivory Coast | 1 |
| Viktor Gyokeres | Sweden | 1 |
| Alexander Isak | Sweden | 1 |
| Mattias Svanberg | Sweden | 1 |
| Omar Rekik | Tunisia | 1 |
| Emam Ashour | Egypt | 1 |
| Abdulelah Al-Amri | Saudi Arabia | 1 |
| Maxi Araujo | Uruguay | 1 |
| Ramin Rezaeian | Iran | 1 |
| Mohammad Mohebi | Iran |
1 |
