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Havertz, Balogun, Ayari in early lead for FIFA golden boot race

By Daily Sports Nigeria on June 15, 2026

Germany’s Kai Havertz, Sweden’s Yasin Ayari and United States forward Folarin Balogun are setting the early pace in the race for the adidas Golden Boot at the FIFA World Cup 2026, with each player scoring twice in their opening matches.

Balogun, the 25-year-old AS Monaco striker, became the first player to score multiple goals for the United States in a FIFA World Cup match since 1930 after netting twice in the first half of the co-hosts’ 4-1 victory over Paraguay in their Group D opener at Los Angeles Stadium.

Here is a Monday update curated from the FIFA website by our correspondent.

The American’s feat was matched on June 14 by Germany forward Kai Havertz, who scored a brace in his side’s emphatic 7-1 win over World Cup debutants Curaçao in a Group E encounter in Houston.

Later the same day, Sweden midfielder Yasin Ayari joined the pair at the top of the scoring chart after producing two goals in Sweden’s 5-1 victory over Tunisia.

With several of the tournament’s 48 participating nations yet to play their opening fixtures, the Golden Boot standings are expected to change significantly as the competition progresses.

Golden Boot Criteria

The adidas Golden Boot is awarded to the player who scores the most goals during the FIFA World Cup finals.

Where two or more players finish level on goals, the first tie-breaker is the number of assists, as determined by FIFA’s Technical Study Group. If players remain level after assists are considered, the award is decided by total minutes played, with the player who has played fewer minutes ranked higher.

As the group stage continues and more teams begin their campaigns, the race for the tournament’s top-scorer award remains wide open.