The race for the World Cup Golden Boot has turned into one of the tightest in the tournament’s history.

Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland are all level on seven goals apiece heading into the quarter-finals, with barely a shot separating three of the greatest forwards of their generation.

Mbappe took the outright lead first, converting a penalty in France’s 1-0 Round of 16 win over Paraguay to move to seven goals.

Messi had set the pace a day earlier with a strike against Cape Verde in Argentina’s dramatic extra-time win, a goal that also extended his own record as the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer.

Haaland was the last of the trio to arrive at seven, scoring twice in Norway’s stunning 2-1 victory over five-time champions Brazil to book his side’s place in the last eight.

It is the first time in World Cup history that three players have reached seven or more goals through the same stage of a tournament.

Should the deadlock persist to the final, the tiebreaker rules favour assists first, then minutes played, and Mbappe currently holds the edge on that count.

Kane sits one behind on six, having powered England’s fightback from a goal down against Mexico with a penalty in a 3-2 win that sent the Three Lions into the quarter-finals.

The England captain, who won the Golden Boot in 2018 with six goals in total, has already matched that tally with three rounds still to play, and remains the closest challenger to the leading pack.

A chasing group of players are on four goals apiece: Jude Bellingham, whose brace against Mexico proved decisive; Ousmane Dembele, whose blistering first-half hat-trick against Norway in the group stage vaulted him up the charts; and Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal.

Golden Glove race just as open

While the Golden Boot battle dominates headlines, the fight for the tournament’s best goalkeeper is shaping into an equally open contest.

Mike Maignan currently heads the bookmakers’ list, having conceded only twice in France’s first five matches, with only Senegal and Norway managing to beat him.

Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez, the reigning Golden Glove holder, remains a strong contender as he chases a first-ever repeat win, while Spain’s Unai Simon has barely been tested, facing just six shots on target across four matches.

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Several senior international players have been eliminated from the 2026 World Cup in matches that marked, or are likely to mark, the end of their careers at the tournament.

The list includes Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Riyad Mahrez, Guillermo Ochoa and Manuel Neuer.

The tournament is still ongoing, with the quarterfinals yet to be completed.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo’s exit came on Monday, when Portugal were eliminated 1-0 by Spain in the round of 16 in Arlington, Texas.

Mikel Merino scored the only goal of the match in the 91st minute. Spain will play the winner of the United States’ match against Belgium in the quarterfinals.

Ronaldo had said before kick-off that this would be his last World Cup.

He made 27 appearances across six tournaments, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026, the second-highest total in the competition’s history behind Argentina’s Lionel Messi, who has 30.

Ronaldo scored 11 goals in total, tied for ninth on the all-time World Cup scoring list, and became the first player to score in six different editions of the tournament after scoring against Uzbekistan in the group stage.

Speaking after the match, Ronaldo said he was leaving with no regrets. “I’ve given my all. I’ve won three titles with Portugal,” he said, adding that Portugal’s 2016 European Championship win ranked, in his view, on the same level as a World Cup.

Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez described Ronaldo’s role in the squad since his own appointment.

Martinez said he arrived to a team with doubts surrounding the captain, but that Ronaldo had since become a role model through his conduct and commitment on the pitch.

Neymar

Neymar played his last World Cup match, so far, in Brazil’s 2-1 loss to Norway.

Speaking to TV Globo afterward, he said his international career was over.

The match was played at the same New York/New Jersey stadium where Neymar made his international debut in 2010.

He scored Brazil’s goal from a penalty kick, having played through a calf injury for most of the tournament.

Neymar leaves as Brazil’s all-time leading scorer, with 80 goals ahead of Pele’s 77.

Riyad Mahrez

Algeria’s Riyad Mahrez was eliminated in the round of 32 following a 2-0 loss to Switzerland.

Speaking directly after the match, Mahrez, 35, said it was his last game for Algeria and that it was now the turn of the next generation of players.

Mahrez leaves international football with 119 caps and 40 goals, and a starring role in Algeria’s 2019 Africa Cup of Nations triumph.

Guillermo Ochoa

Guillermo Ochoa’s exit came in Mexico’s 3-2 loss to England. Ochoa, 40, is the third-oldest player at this tournament.

He kissed the goalpost and applauded fans before leaving the pitch, saying afterward that he had given his all and was proud of his experience at the World Cup.

He has said in earlier interviews that he intends to retire from the national team after the tournament, and possibly from playing altogether.

Manuel Neuer

Manuel Neuer’s case differs from the others in one respect: he had already retired from international football before returning for this tournament.

Germany were eliminated in the round of 32, losing to Paraguay on penalties.

Neuer, 40, said afterward that he did not regret the decision to come back, adding that part of his reason for returning was to support the team’s younger players.

Players yet to be decided

A number of other veteran players remain in the tournament, and their World Cup futures are still open.

Lionel Messi, 39, has not confirmed a retirement but is widely expected to treat 2026 as his last World Cup with Argentina, who remain in contention.

Croatia’s Luka Modric, also in his 40s, has not announced a farewell either.

The 2026 World Cup is continuing, with the quarterfinal round yet to be completed.

Whether further players confirm similar exits before the tournament ends remains to be seen.

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United States, Mexico and Canada, joint hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, have all been eliminated from the tournament, following the USA’s 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the Round of 16 on Monday in Seattle.

‎The US exit completes a difficult tournament for all three co-hosts, who had each reached the knockout stage on home soil but fell short of the quarter-finals.

‎Canada were the first of the trio to bow out, losing 3-0 to Morocco in the Round of 16 on Saturday, July 4, in a tie in which Morocco’s Azzedine Ounahi scored twice before a late strike from Soufiane Rahimi sealed the result.

‎Canada’s campaign was also hampered by injury concerns over star winger, Alphonso Davies.

‎Mexico followed on Sunday, suffering a 3-2 defeat to England at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, in front of more than 80,000 fans.

‎Jude Bellingham scored twice in a 98-second span in the first half, and Harry Kane converted a penalty after England were reduced to 10 men, to end Mexico’s bid for a first quarter-final appearance since it last hosted the tournament in 1986.

‎Mexico coach, Javier Aguirre, is set to be replaced by his assistant, Rafael Marquez, following the exit.

‎The United States’ elimination on Monday completed the sweep.

‎Belgium ran out comfortable 4-1 winners at Lumen Field in Seattle, a result that followed a build-up dominated by controversy over a reinstated red card against US forward, Folarin Balogun, and comments from US President Donald Trump on the match.

‎The 2026 World Cup is the first to be jointly hosted by three nations, and the first held with an expanded 48-team format.

‎The tournament, which began on June 11, runs across 16 cities — 11 in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada — and is scheduled to conclude with the final on July 19.

‎With all three co-hosts now out, the remaining quarter-final field is made up entirely of non-host nations, including Morocco, France, Norway, Spain, Belgium, England, Argentina and Egypt or Switzerland and Colombia, with the final pairings still to be completed.

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