The 2026 FIFA World Cup is just two days away, and we've got a full case of World Cup fever.
To add intrigue to a tournament that needs no more intrigue, we conducted a Golden Boot draft, along with our partners at Pharmaceutical Soccer and 440 Sports. The draft was a six-round snake draft, with each team selecting six players. At the end of the tournament, whichever team has the most goals (with assists serving as the tiebreaker) will be declared the winner.
Here's how things played out.
Round 1
Braden Gall
Round 1, Pick 1 – Kylian Mbappé (France)
Braden: Is there really a decision to be made here? I’d love to see Harry Kane carry England to a Cup title, but we all know France is the pick.
Valair Shabilla
Round 1, Pick 2 – Lamine Yamal (Spain)
Valair: I picked him because I didn't want to pick Harry Kane.
Ben Wright
Round 1, Pick 3 – Harry Kane (England)
Ben: Harry Kane just scored 61 goals for Bayern Munich this season, and England should go deep in the tournament. He's going to bag them, even in the heat.
Stephen Robinson
Round 1, Pick 4 – Vinícius Júnior (Brazil)
Stephen: Brazil's attack is going to hang on the balance of Viní's performances. With coach Carlo Ancelotti at the helm, this is the best chance Viní gets to submit himself as a legend of Brazil, and I think he does it.
Clay Trainum
Round 1, Pick 5 – Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Clay: Look, picking late gets a lot of the favorites out of the way, and I’m just happy that the greatest player to have ever played was available for me in the first round. No getting used to the climate necessary, he’s already here, and I expect a good tournament.
Steve Cavendish
Round 1, Pick 6 – Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain)
Steve: The Real Sociedad player offers Spain something they don’t often have – an out-and-out striker. He’s scored in six straight games headed into the World Cup.
Round 2
Steve Cavendish
Round 2, Pick 7 – Raphinha (Brazil)
Steve: As a Barça fan, I’ll take him over Vini Jr. any day. He’s the kind of player who can get on a roll and, if his hamstrings are healthy, might bang five goals in against Haiti alone.
Clay Trainum
Round 2, Pick 8 – Lautaro Martínez (Argentina)
Clay: Hey, if Messi doesn’t score, he usually assists. I’m banking on a good lot of those goals coming from Martínez after bagging his fair share of goals for Inter Milan the last few years.
Stephen Robinson
Round 2, Pick 9 – Kai Havertz (Germany)
Stephen: I did this to make Valair mad. That’s it.
Ben Wright
Round 2, Pick 10 – Ousmane Dembelé (France)
Ben: I'm a bit worried Dembelé will be more of a creator than a finisher, but France should play a lot of games and score a lot of goals. Scoring by osmosis?
Valair Shabilla
Round 2, Pick 11 – Julián Alvarez (Argentina)
Valair: Alvarez scored four goals last World Cup. He's a Golden Boot contender for this one.
Braden Gall
Round 2, Pick 12 – Erling Haaland (Norway)
Braden: I was shocked he fell this far as the top pure striker on Earth. He might only need the group stage to win the Golden Boot.
The World Cup is coming to the United States this summer, and more people than ever are curious about soccer in this country!
If you know someone who might be interested, consider sending them a gift subscription to SixOneFive Soccer, where we'll be covering the USMNT and the tournament at large. They might even get hooked and stick around for the MLS season!
Round 3
Braden Gall
Round 3, Pick 13 – Michael Olise (France)
Braden: There were lots of great options - Gakpo, Lukaku, Torres - but Olise is poised to capture the world’s attention – and Ronaldo is never an option for me.
Valair Shabilla
Round 3, Pick 14 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
Valair: Yeah, I'll probably be disappointed, all things considered.
Ben Wright
Round 3, Pick 15 – Ferran Torres (Spain)
Ben: To be fully honest, I thought Erling Haaland went off the board way earlier. Kicking myself for missing him... I know Torres probably isn't a starter, but Spain should score an insane about of goals, even in the group stage alone. Hoping for some super-sub magic from him.
Stephen Robinson
Round 3, Pick 16 – Mohammed Salah (Egypt)
Stephen: 60% of all of Egypt's attack in qualifying went through Salah. The main attacking option should have a lot of opportunities.
Clay Trainum
Round 3, Pick 17 – Nick Woltemade (Germany)
Clay: He didn’t have his best season at Newcastle, but he’s 6-foot-6 and playing for a German team that often does well in these events. Someone has to score the goals, and I’m gambling on that someone being him.
Steve Cavendish
Round 3, Pick 18 – Florian Wirtz (Germany)
Steve: So, you want someone on Germany in case they drop a dozen on Curaçao. Does anyone really trust Kai Havertz? I’m also a Newcastle fan, so I’ve seen enough of Woltemade to not believe. Hello, Florian Wirtz!
Round 4
Steve Cavendish
Round 4, Pick 19 – Cody Gakpo (Netherlands)
Steve: The no. 2 scorer for Liverpool this season is just as likely to provide an assist as score, which could be valuable in a tie-breaker situation.
Clay Trainum
Round 4, Pick 20 – Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)
Clay: He’s one of the only players at the World Cup that I’ve met, and he’s an Everton great. Sometimes you just go with a vibes pick, even if they’re playing for a team that is been considered past its prime. Still, he’s scored 90 times for Belgium; here’s to a few more.
Stephen Robinson
Round 4, Pick 21 – Luiz Díaz (Colombia)
Stephen: This is an underrated Columbia side, and Díaz dripped confidence at Bayern. Gimme.
Ben Wright
Round 4, Pick 22 – Deniz Undav (Germany)
Ben: All Undav does is score goals. He might win the starting job before the tournament is over. He could come off the bench against Curaçao and win the Golden Boot in 45 minutes.
Valair Shabilla
Round 4, Pick 23 – Viktor Gyökeres (Sweden)
Valair: He comes from Sweden, the girls are very nice. He dumped his girlfriend to play in red and white. He's scoring goals with the cannon on his chest. His name is Viktor, Viktor Gyökeres!
Braden Gall
Round 4, Pick 24 – Luís Javier Suárez (Colombia)
Braden: I was targeting Díaz or one of the Germans, but happy to get the Colombian striker as a consolation.
Round 5
Braden Gall
Round 5, Pick 25 – Bukayo Saka (England)
Braden: The debate was Saka, Jeremy Doku, or Jonathan David. I thought David would make it back to me (incorrectly) and wanted at least one homer pick. As an Arsenal fan who wants to see England go deep, I had to take Saka. A goal or two and a bunch of quality services to Kane could be a tiebreaker.
Valair Shabilla
Round 5, Pick 26 – Breel Embolo (Switzerland)
Valair: Name a tournament anywhere, anytime where Embolo didn't score for Switzerland. You can't.
Ben Wright
Round 5, Pick 27 – Jeremy Doku (Belgium)
Ben: I kinda think Doku is going to be the hub in the final third for Belgium, and they might score 10 goals in their group. He's going to be one of the best players at this tournament.
Stephen Robinson
Round 5, Pick 28 – Sadio Mané (Senegal)
Stephen: He will score 20 against Iraq alone, so worth a pick.
Clay Trainum
Round 5, Pick 29 – Memphis Depay (Netherlands)
Clay: He scored a fair few goals in qualifying, and he’s another guy certainly past his prime. But hey, we’re a Tennessee publication, and I may as well try to get a little help from a guy named Memphis.
Steve Cavendish
Round 5, Pick 30 – Brahim Díaz (Morocco)
Steve: A kind of maddening player at the club level (currently Real Madrid, but soon to be somewhere else), Díaz is a different guy for his country, scoring basically every other game. He was the top scorer at AFCON and still available in the fifth round.
Round 6
Steve Cavendish
Round 6, Pick 31 – Ayase Ueda (Japan)
Steve: This is a little bit of a Moneyball pick. I think Japan are very good and could have deeper run in the tournament. The Feyenoord striker will get a ton of looks for a team that finished with the best xG in Asian qualifying.
Clay Trainum
Round 6, Pick 32 – Marko Arnautović (Austria)
Clay: I’m probably a little to high on Austria this World Cup, but I expect them to make a run, and Arnautović is the country’s all-time leading scorer and again one of the leading scorers in European qualifying. I’m just now realizing that I’ve selected, by far, the oldest team in this draft.
Stephen Robinson
Round 6, Pick 33 – Christian Pulisic (United States)
Stephen: The last two friendly matches from the United States are what you wanna see again from Captain America in the tournament. Great last pick to grab a few goals.
Ben Wright
Round 6, Pick 34 – Bruno Fernandes (Portugal)
Ben: Portugal are my pick to win the tournament, and Bruno is my pick for Golden Ball. He'll probably end up with more assists than goals, but holy cow he's a steal this late!
Valair Shabilla
Round 6, Pick 35 – Jonathan David (Canada)
Valair: I should've taken Aymen Hussain tbh. What was I thinking?
Braden Gall
Round 6, Pick 36 – Igor Thiago (Brazil)
Braden: I really wanted David or Bruno Fernandes. Yes, the top of the Brazilian formation is crowded, but Thiago had a great year, takes penalties, and Brazil could be playing deep into the tourney.
Who picked the better team? Let us know in the comments, and check back after the tournament is over to see who wins!
