Read 3 minutesUpdated: June 23, 2026 12:38 AM IST
The first round of group-stage matches at the FIFA World Cup 2026 was action-packed. Stars like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane have led the way for their respective teams. The second round continued that energy and the excitement never stopped in the quadruple competition.
Messi lit up the show with three goals in Argentina’s opening match against Algeria, making him the oldest player in the tournament’s history to score a hat-trick. These three goals gave him a joint lead in the race for the Golden Boot. With a 38th-minute strike against Austria on Monday, Argentina now lead all over the field.
Switzerland’s Johan Manzambi scored twice as his side beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 4-1 in Group A. In the next game,
Juventus striker Jonathan David also scored a brilliant hat-trick in a 6-0 rout of co-hosts Canada against Qatar. This leaves him level with Messi at the top of the scoring charts, with both players now having three goals.
Also read | Who has scored the most goals in World Cup history? Messi is one goal away from the all-time record
Germany’s Deniz Undau went three ways clear at the top of the list with two goals in Germany’s 2-1 win over Ivory Coast. He also found the back of the net in Germany’s 7-0 rout of Curacao.
Undav has just 69 minutes to his name as a substitute for Germany in both matches. In addition to the three goals, the German has two assists to his name, both against Curacao, as he leads the list of top goalscorers in the competition.
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As many as 19 players are second with two goals in this World Cup. The list includes some big names like Kylian Mbappe, who scored two goals in France’s 2-0 win over Senegal and now has 14 goals at the World Cup. Brazil’s Vinicius Junior and Matheus Cunha, England’s Harry Kane, Norway’s Erling Haaland, Netherlands’ Crescencio Summerville, Brian Brobie and Cody Gakpo, Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal and Germany’s Kai Havertz are among the few players to have scored two goals so far in this World Cup.
Check out the complete list of top scorers in this World Cup:
Top Goal Scorers in FIFA World Cup 2026
| rank | player | the country | scored a goal | minutes played |
| 1 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 5 | 180 |
| 2 | Deniz Undav | Germany | 3 | 69 |
| T2 | Jonathan David | Canada | 3 | 170 |
| 3 | Crysencio Samarville | The Netherlands | 2 | 123 |
| T3 | Michael Oyarzabal | Spain | 2 | 149 |
| T3 | Maxi Araujo | Uruguay | 2 | 173 |
| T3 | Come on | Japan | 2 | 174 |
| T3 | Cody Gakpo | The Netherlands | 2 | 183 |
| T3 | Vinicius the Younger | Brazil | 2 | 190 |
| T3 | Johan Manzambi | Switzerland | 2 | 58 |
| T3 | Brian Brobbie | The Netherlands | 2 | 88 |
| T3 | Harry Kane | England | 2 | 102 |
| T3 | Erling Halland | Norway | 2 | 103 |
| T3 | Kylian Mbappe | France | 2 | 105 |
| T3 | Mathews Cunha | Brazil | 2 | 108 |
| T3 | Syle Larin | Canada | 2 | 125 |
| T3 | Daichi Kamada | Japan | 2 | 176 |
| T3 | Folarin Balogun | USA | 2 | 179 |
| T3 | Ismail Saibari | Morocco | 2 | 180 |
| T3 | Yasin Ayyari | Sweden | 2 | 183 |
| T3 | Elijah only | New Zealand | 2 | 190 |
| T3 | Kai Havertz | Germany | 2 | 192 |
(Table updated after first half of Argentina vs Australia FIFA World Cup 2026 match)