France's Ousmane Dembele (right) scored a hat-trick against Norway to reach four goals in FIFA World Cup 2026, trailing table topper Lionel Messi (left) by just one goal, along with three other players. Photos: Instagram, Wikimedia Commons
Dembele smashes historic hat-trick to challenge Messi for Golden Boot
The France forward's 32-minute blitz against Norway leaves him just one goal behind Argentina talisman, joining Mbappé and Haaland in a fierce race
While Kylian Mbappe disappointed France fans by failing to equal or pip Lionel Messi as the highest scorer in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the match against Norway in Foxborough, the United States, on Friday (June 26), his colleague Ousmane Dembele more than made up for it by smashing a hat-trick, the second fastest from kickoff in the tournament's 96-year history.
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Four trail topper Messi by 1 goal
The hat-trick, which the forward completed in 32 minutes (Austria's Erich Probst did in first 24 minutes in 1954), catapulted him to the second spot in the race for the Golden Boot, equalling three other players, including Mbappe. France decimated Norway 4-1 to finish with an all-win record in their group (I) and will take on Sweden in the Round of 32.
FIFA World Cup Golden Boot race: After matches on June 26
♦ Lionel Messi (Argentina) 5 goals
♦ Vinícius Junior (Brazil) 4 goals
♦ Ousmane Dembele (France)m 4 goals
♦ Kylian Mbappé (France) 4 goals
♦ Erling Haaland (Norway) 4 goals
♦ Matheus Cunha (Brazil) 3 goals
♦ Jonathan David (Canada) 3 goals
♦ Deniz Undav (Germany) 3 goals
♦ Ismael Saibari (Morocco) 3 goals
♦ Brian Brobbey (Netherlands) 3 goals
♦ Elijah Just (New Zealand) 3 goals
♦ Ismaïla Sarr (Senegal) 3 goals
♦ Johan Manzambi (Switzerland) 3 goals
Brazil's Vilnius Junior and Norway's Erling Haaland also have four goals so far. The latter was rested against France. Messi has five goals to his credit so far, with Argentina left to play their final game in the group stage, against Jordan on Saturday (June 27).
Eight players have 3 goals
Eight players have scored three goals so far. They include Matheus Cunha (Brazil), Jonathan David (Canada), Deniz Undav (Germany), Ismail Saibari (Morocco), Brian Brobbery (Netherlands), Johan Manzambi (Switzerland), Elijah Just (New Zealand) and Ismaila Sarr (Senegal).
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Twenty-one players have scored two goals, while 97 have scored one so far.
Who gets the Golden Boot?
The Golden Boot will be awarded to the player who scores the maximum goals in the tournament. If two or more players score the same number of goals, the number of assists (as determined by the members of the FIFA Technical Study Group) shall be decisive. If names still cannot be separated, the total minutes played in the tournament will be considered, with the player who appeared for fewer minutes ranked before the others.