Quick answer: Three games in, and it’s a three-way tie at the top. Erling Haaland, Alexander Isak, and Bruno Fernandes all sit on three goals. Nobody’s pulled away yet, and there’s still 37 matchdays to go, so treat this as an early snapshot, not a forecast.
- A three-way tie leads the 2026/27 Golden Boot race: Haaland, Isak, and Fernandes on 3 goals each after matchday 3.
- Erling Haaland remains the benchmark, with three Golden Boots in the last four seasons (36, 27, and 27 goals).
- Alexander Isak’s hot start suggests his move to Liverpool is already paying off, though fitness remains his biggest question mark.
- Bruno Fernandes leading the charts is a reminder that midfielders, not just strikers, are now genuine Golden Boot contenders.
- Recent winning totals have ranged from 27 to 36 goals, so the mid-to-high 20s is the realistic benchmark to watch for by May.
The Race So Far
The season opened on August 21, Arsenal hosting newly promoted Coventry City. Kai Havertz got the season’s first goal that night. Saka followed him onto the scoresheet a few minutes later. Since then the picture up top has kept moving around. Three rounds of matches in, here’s how it looks.
Top Scorers After Matchday 3 (as of September 6, 2026)
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (tied) | Erling Haaland | Manchester City | 3 |
| 1 (tied) | Alexander Isak | Liverpool | 3 |
| 1 (tied) | Bruno Fernandes | Manchester United | 3 |
| 4 (tied) | Bukayo Saka | Arsenal | 2 |
| 4 (tied) | Kai Havertz | Arsenal | 2 |
| 4 (tied) | Cole Palmer | Chelsea | 2 |
| 4 (tied) | Joao Pedro | Chelsea | 2 |
| 4 (tied) | Bryan Mbeumo | Manchester United | 2 |
| 4 (tied) | Martin Odegaard | Arsenal | 2 |
Behind that group there’s a long list of players stuck on one. Nothing unusual there. This early on, the table almost always looks crowded — it doesn’t really start to separate until the cup ties and European nights pile up and rotation starts thinning out minutes for some players and not others.
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The Three Leaders, Up Close
Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
He’s the man to beat every year, and honestly the reasons haven’t changed much. Three Golden Boots in the last four seasons. Thirty-six goals in his very first campaign, 2022/23, a number nobody’s come close to touching since. Twenty-seven in 2023/24. Twenty-seven again last season, when he took the award back off Mohamed Salah. City’s whole style has shifted since Guardiola left, new manager, different system, but Haaland’s scoring rate hasn’t really moved. He just finishes. That part of his game seems immune to whatever else is going on around him.
Alexander Isak (Liverpool)
The Isak-to-Liverpool move was one of the loudest transfer stories of the summer, and so far the early goals suggest it’s clicking. He’s always had the reputation — quick, composed, clinical, the kind of forward who makes difficult finishes look routine. Fitness is really the only question mark that’s followed him around. Stay healthy, and with a Liverpool side that tends to create good chances anyway, and there’s a real case for him pushing for the Golden Boot outright rather than just being a strong number two.
Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
A midfielder topping the goal charts this early is a good reminder that this isn’t purely a striker’s competition anymore. Fernandes has built his reputation on productivity more than pure finishing — he’s usually up near the top of the assist table too, and his goals tend to come from a mix of sources: midfield runs, set pieces, penalties. Three in three shows he can lead a scoring chart, not just set one up for somebody else.
Who Else Is Chasing?
A handful of names sit one goal back.
Saka and Havertz have both started quickly for Arsenal, and with the club chasing another title, either could turn into a real Golden Boot threat if the front line keeps producing. Chelsea’s Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro give Enzo Maresca two separate routes to goal, which matters over a long season. Bryan Mbeumo already showed he had an eye for goal in his debut Premier League year, so there’s no reason to think that dries up now. And Martin Odegaard, like Fernandes, is more proof the Golden Boot conversation has quietly stopped being just about strikers.
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What Does It Take to Win?
Recent winners give a rough sense of what’s needed come May.
| Season | Winner | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | Erling Haaland | Manchester City | 27 |
| 2024/25 | Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | 29 |
| 2023/24 | Erling Haaland | Manchester City | 27 |
| 2022/23 | Erling Haaland | Manchester City | 36 |
Winning totals over the last four years have run from 27 up to 36. Three of those four seasons needed at least 27 goals. Mid-to-high twenties has more or less become the going rate in this era of the league — not a hard rule, just the pattern so far.
How Ties Get Settled
Say two or more players finish level on goals. The tiebreaker isn’t complicated:
Fewest minutes played to reach the final total wins it. If that’s equal too, the award gets shared between them.
It’s part of why late-season rotation matters more than people think. A striker with 24 goals in 30 appearances usually beats a rival who needed 36 games to get to the same number — assuming it ever comes down to that.
What’s Coming Up
Things get busier fast from here. The first Manchester derby of the season, United hosting City, puts Fernandes and Haaland on the same pitch with a direct shot at each other’s defence. There’s also a longer international break built into September this year than usual, which means clubs will likely manage minutes more carefully than they might otherwise. Worth watching if the race stays this tight.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who’s leading the Premier League Golden Boot race right now?
Early September 2026, and it’s Haaland, Isak, and Fernandes tied on three goals apiece after three matchdays.
How many Golden Boots has Haaland won?
Three — 2022/23 (36 goals), 2023/24 (27), and 2025/26 (27).
Who won it last season?
Haaland, with 27, taking it back from Mohamed Salah, who’d won the year before on 29.
What if two players finish level on goals?
Minutes played decides it — fewer minutes wins. Still tied after that, and it’s shared.
Roughly how many goals does it take to win?
Somewhere in the high 20s to mid 30s, going by the last four years. 27 keeps coming up as the number to beat.
Sources & References
- Premier League – Official Stats Hub
- BBC Sport – Premier League Top Scorers
- NBC Sports – Premier League Goals Leaders, 2026/27 Golden Boot Race
- ESPN – Premier League Stats
Scoring data reflects matches played through matchday 3 of the 2026/27 season, up to September 6, 2026. Standings will keep changing — check the Premier League’s official stats page or BBC Sport’s top scorers page for the latest totals.
