Women's World Cup 2023 top scorers - race for the Golden Boot

The Golden Boot award for the top scorer is always a big deal at any international tournament, but never more so than the World Cup - the pinnacle of any player's career.

The original version of the award at the Women's World Cup was the Golden Shoe, rather than boot, and was presented from the inaugural tournament in 1991 until 2007. From 2011 onwards, it has been the Golden Boot, with 2023 the fourth World Cup under that name.

The second top scorer is presented with the Silver Boot, while third place get the Bronze Boot.

In the event of multiple players finishing on the same number of goals, assists is then used a tiebreaker. If the contenders are also level on assists, it will come to who has scored the most goals per minutes on the pitch - and therefore deemed to be the most efficient.

Women's World Cup 2023 top scorers

25. Linda Caicedo (Colombia)

Goals: 2
Assists: 0
Minutes per goal: 225

Linda Caicedo scored in each in of Colombia's opening two wins over South Korea and Germany, the latter a stunning solo strike of the elite quality.

24. Stefanie van der Gragt (Netherlands)

Goals: 2
Assists: 1
Minutes per goal: 210

Stefanie van der Gragt announced her international retirement when Netherlands were knocked out, signing off with two more goals.

23. Sophia Smith (USA)

Goals: 2
Assists: 1
Minutes per goal: 181

Sophia Smith started well but her tournament tailed off. That being said, she is still the future of the United States team.

22. Guro Reiten (Norway)

Goals: 2
Assists: 1
Minutes per goal: 180

Guro Reiten is one of Chelsea's most important players and translated that onto the World Cup stage, although Norway still crashed out.

21. Hildah Magaia (South Africa)

Goals: 2
Assists: 1
Minutes per goal: 162

Hildah Magaia's group stage goals against Sweden and Italy helped show just how competitive South Africa are on the international stage.

20. Riko Ueki (Japan)

Goals: 2
Assists: 1
Minutes per goal: 90

Riko Ueki waited until Japan's final group game to score her first goal of this World Cup and quickly followed it up with a second in that same match.

19. Thembi Kgatlana (South Africa)

Goals: 2
Assists: 2
Minutes per goal: 177

Thembi Kgatlana overcame serious injury in 2022 and suffered personal tragedy at the World Cup, losing three family members back home.

18. Mina Tanaka (Japan)

Goals: 2
Assists: 3
Minutes per goal: 136

Although leading the line in the 'number nine' role for Japan, Mina Tanaka actually racked up assists faster than goals.

17. Hayley Raso (Australia)

Goals: 3
Assists: 0
Minutes per goal: 189

Australia were in danger of getting knocked out at the group stage until Hayley Raso netted a first half brace in game three against Canada.

16. Alessia Russo (England)

Goals: 3
Assists: 0
Minutes per goal: 176

Alessia Russo endured a realtively slow start to the World Cup as England struggled to find rhythm, before netting in successive knockout games.

15. Fridolina Rolfo (Sweden)

Goals: 3
Assists: 0
Minutes per goal: 167

One of a number of weapons at Sweden's disposal, Fridolina Rolfo tripled her total goal haul at World Cups this year.

14. Eugenie Le Sommer (France)

Goals: 3
Assists: 0
Minutes per goal: 119

Eugenie Le Sommer was bizarrely left out of France's Euro 2022 squad, but is more than proving she is sill a top level goalscorer.

13. Sophie Roman Haug (Norway)

Goals: 3
Assists: 0
Minutes per goal: 84

Norway's Sophie Roman Haug got her chance when Ada Hegerberg pulled out of the Switzerland game, leaving the Roma striker to take full advantage.

12. Rebecka Blomqvist (Sweden)

Goals: 3
Assists: 0
Minutes per goal: 53

Rebecka Blomqvist isn't a regular starter in Sweden's strongest XI but has made the most of her minutes on the pitch.

11. Lauren Hemp (England)

Goals: 3
Assists: 1
Minutes per goal: 173

Previously known as a left winger, Lauren Hemp started to be used in a central striker role at the end of the group stage and thrived.

10. Alba Redondo (Spain)

Goals: 3
Assists: 1
Minutes per goal: 131

Although a Spain international since 2018, Alba Redondo has seen her goalscoring at this level rapidly accelerate over the past 10 months alone.

9. Ary Borges (Brazil)

Goals: 3
Assists: 1
Minutes per goal: 69

At 23, Ary Borges scored a 70-minute hat-trick on her World Cup debut to become a Golden Boot contender before Brazil crashed out.

8. Jenni Hermoso (Spain)

Goals: 3
Assists: 2
Minutes per goal: 216

The Spain forward was forced to miss Euro 2022 because of injury but previously scored three times at the 2019 World Cup.

7. Aitana Bonmati (Spain)

Goals: 3
Assists: 2
Minutes per goal: 195

Aitana Bonmati very nearly didn't play at this World Cup due to the unresolved issues surrounding the Spain setup.

6. Lauren James (England)

Goals: 3
Assists: 3
Minutes per goal: 111

21 years of age and at her debut major international tournament, Lauren James either scored or assisted six of England's eight group stage goals.

5. Amanda Ilestedt (Sweden)

Goals: 3
Assists: 0
Minutes per goal: 158

New Arsenal signing Amanda Ilestedt scored twice in Sweden's thrashing of Italy and eventually finished the World Cup with four goals - as a defender.

4. Jill Roord (Netherlands)

Goals: 4
Assists: 0
Minutes per goal: 105

Already at her third World Cup at the age of just 26, Jill Roord continued her impressive scoring record as she nears a century of Netherlands caps.

3. Alexandra Popp (Germany)

Goals: 4
Assists: 0
Minutes per goal: 66

Alexandra Popp came into the World Cup recognised as one of the best forwards on the planet after a massive resurgence post-injury problems.

2. Kadidiatou Diani (France)

Goals: 4
Assists: 3
Minutes per goal: 112

Kadidiatou Diani put earlier misses behind her to score a hat-trick in France's final group game, a 6-3 thrashing of Panama.

1. Hinata Miyazawa (Japan)

Goals: 5
Assists: 1
Minutes per goal: 67

The diminutive midfielder is not typically a prolific goalscorer but started fast with group stage braces against both Zambia and Spain.

Who won the Women's World Cup 2019 Golden Boot?

United States star Megan Rapinoe, who is retiring later this year, won the Golden Boot four years ago in 2019. She scored six goals in total as the Americans retained the trophy they had lifted in 2015.

Rapinoe scored her first in the opening 13-0 rout of Thailand in the group stage, netting the eighth of the game en-route to a record World Cup win. But she didn't find the net again until the knockout stages, making her contribution hugely important to her team's eventual success.

She scored twice from the penalty spot in a 2-1 win over Spain in the last 16, before another brace saw off hosts France by the same score-line in the quarter-finals. Her sixth and last goal came from the penalty spot in the final against Netherlands, setting up a 2-0 win.

Rapinoe actually finished level on six goals with both teammate Alex Morgan, who scored five of hers in the aforementioned Thailand game and got the winner in the semi-final with the other, and England's Ellen White. But Rapinoe won the Golden Boot thanks to her three assists, which still left her level with Morgan, and fewer minutes played. White got no assists in more minutes played.

In addition to the Golden Boot, Rapinoe as won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player.

Women's World Cup Golden Boot - all-time winners

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