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The 2026 World Cup Golden Ball race is heating up as the tournament enters the knockout stage. Lionel Messi has reclaimed first place after scoring against Jordan, while Cristiano Ronaldo has dropped out of consideration entirely after Portugal’s disappointing draw with Colombia. Here are the top 17 players in the Pulse Sports live rankings.
Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 6 goals
Kylian Mbappe (France) -4 goals, 2 assists
Vinicius Junior (Brazil) – 4 goals
Erling Haaland (Norway) – 4 goals
Denis Undav (Germany) – 3 goals
Ismael Saibari (Morocco) – 3 goals
Ousmane Dembele (France) – 4 goals
Cody Gakpo (Netherlands) – 2 goals, 1 assist
Johan Manzambi (Switzerland) – 3 goals
Matheus Cunha (Brazil) -3 goals
Brian Brobbey (Netherlands) – 2 goals
Folarin Balogun (USA) 2 goals
Michael Olise (France) – 2 assists
Alexander Isak (Sweden) -1 goal, 2 assists
Luis Diaz (Colombia) -1 goal, 1 assist
Jonathan David (Canada) – 3 goals
Harry Kane (England) – 3 goals
The Golden Ball race is wide open heading into the knockout stages. Messi leads with six goals, but Mbappe, Vinicius, Haaland, and Dembele are close behind. Ronaldo’s underwhelming performance against Colombia dropped him out of the rankings entirely. The knockout stage will determine who emerges as the tournament’s best player.
 
