TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Argentina's star Lionel Messi has further solidified his position at the top of the list of top scorers in the 2026 World Cup after adding one more goal to help his country defeat Jordan 3-1 in the last match of Group J on Sunday, June 28, 2026. This goal has brought the La Albiceleste captain's tally to six goals, putting him two goals ahead of his closest competitors in the race for the Golden Boot.
Quoted from the FIFA website, Argentina's coach Lionel Scaloni deliberately did not play Messi at the start of the match in order to preserve his fitness. The Inter Miami forward only entered the game in the 60th minute, replacing Lautaro Martinez with Argentina leading 2-1 at the Dallas Stadium, United States.
Scaloni's decision proved to be right. Five minutes earlier, Jordan had narrowed the gap, prompting the Argentina coach to bring in Messi along with Alexis Mac Allister and Thiago Almada to boost the attack.
Messi later secured Argentina's victory with a free-kick in the final minutes. The ball slipped past the defensive wall and evaded goalkeeper Yazeed Abulaila. This goal marked Messi's sixth goal of the tournament, further widening the gap at the top of the scorer's list.
The competition below Messi remains fierce. French forward Ousmane Dembele moved to the second position after scoring a hat-trick in the 4-1 victory against Norway. He now has four goals, the same as his teammate Kylian Mbappe, Norway's striker Erling Haaland, and Brazil's forward Vinicius Junior.
Meanwhile, Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo)'s forward Yoane Wissa also joined the competition by scoring two goals as his team defeated Uzbekistan 3-1 and advanced to the round of 32 as one of the best third-placed teams. Wissa now has three goals, on par with several other players, including England captain Harry Kane.
Kane failed to add more than one goal to his tally as England defeated Panama 2-0 in the last match of Group L. However, the goal was sufficient to help him set a new record with The Three Lions.
Kane's header broke Gary Lineker's record as the top scorer for England in the World Cup finals. The Bayern Munich forward now has 11 goals from 14 World Cup matches, surpassing Lineker, who scored 10 goals in 12 matches.
Prior to this, Kane had equalled Lineker's record with two goals as England defeated Croatia in the opening match of Group L. Now, the England captain stands alone at the top of his country's list of top scorers in the World Cup.
Since making his debut for the England national team in March 2015, Kane has appeared 117 times and scored 82 goals. In addition to leading England to the round of 32 as the Group L winners, his three goals also keep Kane in the running for the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot.
Current list of top scorers in the 2026 World Cup:
6 goals
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
4 goals
Kylian Mbappe (France)
Ousmane Dembele (France)
Erling Haaland (Norway)
Vinicius Junior (Brazil)
3 goals
Jonathan David (Canada)
Deniz Undav (Germany)
Johan Manzambi (Switzerland)
Matheus Cunha (Brazil)
Ismael Saibari (Morocco)
Brian Brobbey (Netherlands)
Ismaila Sarr (Senegal)
Elijah Just (New Zealand)
Harry Kane (England)
Yoane Wissa (DR Congo)
2 goals
Folarin Balogun (United States)
Kai Havertz (Germany)
Yasin Ayari, Anthony Elanga (Sweden)
Ruben Vargas (Switzerland)
Cyle Larin (Canada)
Cody Gakpo, Crysencio Summerville (Netherlands)
Daichi Kamada, Ayase Ueda (Japan)
Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain)
Maxi Araujo (Uruguay)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
Daniel Munoz (Colombia)
Ermin Mahmic (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Julian Quinones (Mexico)
Nicolas Pepe (Ivory Coast)
Pape Gueye (Senegal)
Ramin Rezaeian (Iran)
Leandro Trossard (Belgium)
Jude Bellingham (England)
Marko Arnautovic (Austria)
(*)
Read: 2026 World Cup Top Scorers So Far: Messi Leads, Ronaldo Enters Top 25
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
South Korea Coach Hong Myung-bo Resigns After World Cup Exit
12 menit lalu
Coach Hong Myung-bo resigns after failing to lead the South Korean national team to the round of 32.
World Cup: Canada Secures Place in Round of 16 After Edging South Africa
3 jam lalu
Canada secured their place in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup after narrowly defeating South Africa 1-0 in the Round of 32 match.
Brazil vs Japan Prediction in 2026 World Cup Round of 32
4 jam lalu
Brazil enters the Round of 32 with high confidence after closing out the group stage as the champions of Group C in the World Cup 2026.
Today's Top 3 News: Analyst Says Rupiah Could Weaken Past 18,000 Next Week
15 jam lalu
Here is the list of the top 3 news on Tempo English today.
Schedule of the 2026 World Cup Round of 32
17 jam lalu
The 2026 World Cup group stage concludes, locking in the 32 qualified teams and the official schedule for the opening round of the knockout stage.
World Cup: DR Congo Reach Last 32 After Beating Uzbekistan
21 jam lalu
DR Congo advanced to round of 32 as one of the best 3rd-place finishers, after beating Uzbekistan 3-1 in World Cup's Group K match.
World Cup: Colombia Top Group K After Thrilling Draw with Portugal
1 hari lalu
Colombia finished top of Group K after holding Portugal to an entertaining 0-0 draw in their final group-stage match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Harry Kane Breaks Gary Lineker's England World Cup Scoring Record
1 hari lalu
Harry Kane has once again made history with the England national team after breaking Gary Lineker's record.
World Cup Roundup: England Top Group L, Croatia Reach Knockouts
1 hari lalu
England topped Group L with a 2-0 victory over Panama, while Croatia booked their place in World Cup knockout stage after edging Ghana 2-1.
Today's Top 3 News: Will Portugal Overtake Colombia to Top Group K at World Cup?
1 hari lalu
Here is the list of the top 3 news on Tempo English today.
