World Cup 2022 Golden Boot Odds: Kane and Mbappe top the list

England’s Harry Kane and Frenchman Kylian Mbappe top the list of contenders for top scorer and winner of the Golden Boot in Qatar. How far the teams advance in the tournament will be crucial to the outcome.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar kicks off this weekend. If you want to be in on the action, take a look at the odds for the winner of the Golden Boot – the prize given to the tournament’s top scorer.

Favourite is the previous winner, Harry Kane. He scored six goals in Russia at the 2018 World Cup. Then, England advanced to the semi-finals, a feat the bookies have them repeating again in 2022. Topping their table in the group stages will be crucial to both the team’s and Kane’s success.

Read: 2022 World Cup Group Stage Predictions

World Cup 2022 top-scorer odds

Harry Kane is 7/1 favourite to win the Golden Boot in Qatar, just ahead of Kylian Mbappe at 8/1.

Harry Kane eying up second Golden Boot

Captain of Tottenham Hotspur and England, Harry Kane heads into the 2022 World Cup topping the market for the Golden Boot at 7/1. At 29-years, Kane is arguably the most impressive forward in the world, and scored only last weekend in a 4-3 win over Leeds United.

In total, Kane has scored 51 goals in just 75 internationals, scoring 10 in 10 games for manager Gareth Southgate. If England reach at least the semi-finals as they did four years ago, there’s no reason why Kane shouldn’t collect the award again.

French forwards hot on Kane’s heels

The bookies have Frenchmen Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema right behind Kane as favourites to pick up the Golden Boot. In 2018, Mbappe, only 19 at the time, scored four goals to bring him second behind Kane. Like England, France have a group in which there’s the opportunity to score well, so Mbappe and Benzema have a good chance.

Benzema is currently the holder of the Ballon D’Or, scoring 44 goals in 46 games in the 2021-22 season. However, his form has been less solid this year with 6 goals in 12 games, but he has had a few injury niggles. Those minor injuries Benzema seems to have shaken off, but having to share the goal-scoring opportunities with Mbappe and Griezmann will explain his odds of 10/1.

South American stars looking to win it all

Neymar of Brazil has been on fine form this season with 14 goals in 18 games. He’s playing for one of the favourites to take the Jules Remy trophy home; so with a long run and excellent creators in Paqueta and Vinicus Jr around him, the slightly longer odds may be worth a punt. He’s also only 2 goals away from overtaking the great Pele’s leading-scorer for Brazil record.

Another looking to make the most of an fairly easy group and a long run in the tournament is Argentina’s Lionel Messi. He’s responsible for penalties and free kicks as well as being the main man up front. This is probably the 34-year-old’s last World Cup, so he’s going to want to go out in style.

Can you afford to ignore Ronaldo?

Like Messi, this could very well be Cristiano Ronaldo’s last World Cup. The 37-year-old has kept himself incredibly fit, and as the all-time leading international goal scorer would you want to bet against him? Of course, his ability to make a mark in the tournament depends on his team’s performance. If they don’t make it out of the groups stages, then it’s unlikely he’ll have too much impact on the Golden Boot running. But still, it’s a tempting wager.

Chances of winning the 2022 World Cup Golden Boot

Taking the odds above into account, these are the chances of the players winning the Golden Boot.