Premier League 2025/26 Golden Boot Race: Who Will Come Out on Top
The Premier League Golden Boot is one of the most coveted individual achievements in all of football. Every season, the league’s top scorer is awarded a Golden Boot trophy to celebrate their success in the season as the most prolific striker. The 2025/26 season has already started debates amongst fans about who will finish the season with the most goals to their name. With established superstars and bright new challengers all looking to make their mark this season. This season’s race is expected to be one of the most tightly contested in recent years.
Tools and statistical models, much like a matched betting calculator, are often referenced when analysing probabilities and trends around football, adding another layer of insight to discussions such as the Golden Boot race.
This list points out some of the more clear favourites but also picks out some potential dark horse options who are looking to make a stir. From previous winners to record-breaking signings looking to prove a point, this Premier League season is shaping up to be one of the most entertaining campaigns in the modern era.
Erling Haaland
Erling Haaland continues to be a consistent goal threat for Manchester City, and his inclusion in this list should come as no surprise. Since joining City in 2022, Haaland has instantly redefined the goalscoring standards for players in the Premier League. In his first season, he broke the record for the most goals in a single Premier League season.
Haaland has everything you would want in a striker; he has explosive pace, relentless finishing, and he is physically dominant. He fits perfectly into City’s style of play, with the creativity of Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, and Jeremy Doku around him; Haaland is supplied with a bundle of chances to score each week. He is currently the betting favourite to win the Golden Boot, and if City can regain their title-winning form, there is no doubt that Haaland will be amongst the top names for the Golden Boot.
Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah has been one of the Premier League’s most consistent forwards for nearly a decade. The Egyptian winger has multiple Golden Boots to his name and remains the heart of Liverpool’s attacking threat. Each year, fans question whether Salah will start to slow down as he gets older, but his pace, movement, and finishing have remained at the elite level. Salah is also Liverpool’s primary penalty taker, and with the likes of Isak and Ekitike causing issues in opposition boxes, Liverpool should see themselves winning a good number of penalties this season.
Liverpool came into the 25/26 season a title favourites, and they will be relying on Salah’s goals to lead them to back-to-back league victories. Salah’s consistency and eye for goal will make him a likely frontrunner in his bid to win another Golden Boot.
Viktor Gyokeres
Viktor Gyokeres is one of the more intriguing additions to the Golden Boot race for this season. Arsenal have recently signed the Swedish sensation from Portuguese side Sporting CP, and he’s coming into his first season with a great deal of expectation. During his time at Sporting, Gyokeres became one of the most prolific goal scorers in Europe, and many teams attempted to sign him. His strength, hold-up play, and finishing make a threat that not many defenders have been able to manage. Under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal fans are expecting Gyokeres to hit the ground running, due to their high number of chances created.
If Gyokeres can take to the Premier League like he has at his other clubs, he could emerge as a serious challenger for the Golden Boot. His biggest disadvantage is that he does not have the Premier League experience like other players in this list.
Alexander Isak
Alexander Isak took up the majority of the headlines during the summer transfer window as he was at the forefront of what felt like a never-ending transfer saga. Isak finally got the move he wanted, as Liverpool broke the British transfer record to sign the Swedish forward from Newcastle United for £130 million. Isak combines pace, skill, and composure, which makes him a talented and lethal striker in front of goal. Isak will benefit from the creativity that surrounds him in the extremely talented Liverpool side.
Where Isak may struggle with Liverpool is that they have so many gifted forwards already in their squad. Before Liverpool signed Isak, they signed French striker Hugo Ekitke, who has hit the ground running for Liverpool, bagging two goals and one assist in his first four games. So, the likes of Ekitike and Salah provide great competition for Isak in not just his race for the Golden Boot but his starting position.
Joao Pedro
Joao Pedro is an outsider compared to the other names on this list, but his ability in front of the goal is no joke. The Brazilian forward has impressed with his movement and versatility since signing for Chelsea in the summer transfer window from Brighton. With an impressive pre-season, winning the Club World Cup, if Chelsea can stay consistent this season, Pedro could find himself amongst the big names in the Golden Boot race. Pedro’s talent could lead to him causing a potential upset, as Chelsea will be looking to regain their title-winning form that they have shown in the past.
