Golden Boot Duel: Haaland v Kane at World Cup Quarters
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- World Cup quarter-finals feature six European sides plus one each from Africa (Morocco) and South America (Argentina), with four ties starting Thursday in the expanded tournament.
- Norway's Erling Haaland leads the Golden Boot race with seven goals in four games, including a brace that knocked out five-time winners Brazil; he has scored in 14 consecutive internationals with 27 goals in that span.
- England's Harry Kane sits one goal behind Haaland on six and became England's all-time leading World Cup scorer with 14, having netted the winning penalty against Mexico in the last 16.
- France face Morocco in Atlanta on Thursday in a 2022 semi-final rematch, with Morocco on a 34-match unbeaten run but never having beaten France, who have won seven straight and 11 of their past 12.
- Spain face Belgium in Los Angeles on Friday unbeaten at the tournament with six consecutive clean sheets — a World Cup record — and an expected goals against of just 0.3, while Belgium's 13 goals is the third-highest tally.
- Argentina's Lionel Messi leads the Golden Boot outright on eight goals after becoming the first player to miss two penalties at a single World Cup, while Argentina take on Switzerland in Kansas City on Sunday after extra-time wins over Cape Verde and Egypt.
Why it matters: The Golden Boot race has Messi (8), Haaland (7) and Kane (6) separated by just two goals with four matches left, giving every quarter-final direct scoring and all-time record implications. A Norway win would book their first-ever major tournament semi-final, a feat only 1954 West Germany have matched in reaching semis while conceding in every game.
