Kylian Mbappé isn't letting Lionel Messi get away. By scoring on Thursday against Morocco, the France captain notched his 8th goal of the 2026 World Cup. 8 goals for the man with 8 Ballon d'Or nominations, that's the same as Messi, an 8-time Ballon d'Or winner. And the race is far from over.

Having qualified for the semifinals, Mbappé has played one more match than Messi, who will play his quarterfinal against Switzerland on Saturday. Erling Haaland, with 7 goals, could also reclaim the top spot in this standings during his quarterfinal against England, a little earlier on Saturday. That match will actually be a striker duel, as Harry Kane and his 6 goals will be there too.

Mbappé leading thanks to assists!

Who else could shake up this ranking? Perhaps Ousmane Dembélé, 5th with his 5th goal scored this Thursday, or maybe Jude Bellingham and Mikel Oyarzabal, both on four goals? Oyarzabal's Spain will play their quarterfinal against Belgium this Friday. Anything is still possible!

In the event of a tie, players will be separated by the number of assists, and if still tied, by the number of minutes played in the tournament (with fewer minutes being favored).

  1. Kylian Mbappé

8 goals (3 assists, 563 minutes played)

  1. Lionel Messi

8 goals (1 assist, 468 minutes played)

  1. Erling Haaland

7 goals (0 assist, 416 minutes played)

  1. Harry Kane

6 goals (1 assist, 489 minutes played)

  1. Ousmane Dembélé

5 goals (2 assists, 492 minutes played)

  1. Mikel Oyarzabal

4 goals (1 assist, 435 minutes played)

  1. Jude Bellingham

4 goals (1 assist, 447 minutes played)