England captain: Harry Kane reignited the FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot race with a thrilling late brace against Congo DR, moving level with Erling Haaland in second place and closing the gap on joint leaders Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé.Kane’s two goals propelled England to a dramatic 2-1 return win in the Round of 32, keeping the Three Lions’ World Cup aspirations alive while opening up the race for the tournament’s top scorer.The England skipper now has five goals in the tournament, just one behind Messi and Mbappé, who sit at the top of the standings with six each after the France captain scored twice in Les Bleus’ 3-0 win over Sweden.
Kane enters the Golden Boot battle in style
Facing a shock exit, England trailed for more than an hour after Congo DR took a seventh-minute lead through Brian Cipenga.Thomas Tuchel’s side struggled to find a breakthrough as goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi denied Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford, while Yoane Wissa hit the post at the other end.Kane eventually sparked England’s revival in the 75th minute before completing the comeback with another clinical finish 11 minutes later.The brace not only sealed England’s place in the Round of 16 but also propelled Kane into the heart of the Golden Boot contest.
FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot standings
- Kylian Mbappé (France) – 6 goals
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 6 goals
- Harry Kane (England) – 5 goals
- Erling Haaland (Norway) – 5 goals
- Ousmane Dembele (France) – 4 goals
- Vinícius Júnior (Brazil) – 4 goals
- Ismaila Sarr (Senegal) – 4 goals
Many players stayed within striking distance, setting up an interesting battle as the knockout rounds continued.
- Three goals each. Deniz Undav (Germany), Johan Manzambi (Switzerland), Julian Quinones (Mexico), Cody Gakpo (Netherlands), Brian Brobbery (Netherlands), Folarin Balogun (USA), Matheus Cunha (Brazil), Elijah Just (New Zealand), Yoane Wissa (Cabo Verde), Jonathan David (Canada), Ismail Sai
Another historic milestone for the England captain
Kane’s heroics also saw him overtake Brazilian legend Pelé on the all-time World Cup scoring list.His first goal made him level with Pelé on 12 World Cup goals before his winner moved him to 13, further cementing his place among the competition’s greatest scorers.The England captain overtook Gary Lineker as his country’s leading men’s World Cup scorer earlier in the tournament and now boasts 20 goals in major international competitions along with 84 goals in 118 appearances for England.England did not win a men’s World Cup match after conceding for the first time since beating Germany in the 1966 World Cup final, underscoring the importance of Kane’s comeback performance.With Messi and Mbappé leading the way with six goals and Kane and Haaland breathing down their necks with five, the race for the tournament’s top scorer promises to be one of the defining stories of the knockout stage.England next face co-hosts Mexico in the Round of 16, where Kane will have another chance to continue his incredible scoring run and his pursuit of the Golden Boot.