As the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup approaches, many players will have an eye on the Golden Boot award.
The prize goes to the player, usually a forward, who scores the most goals across the competition.
The tournament, being hosted by Australia and New Zealand, will commence on July 20, 2023, ending a month later on August 20. The final will take place at Sydney Olympic Stadium in Australia.
The Sporting News looks at the previous winners of the Women's World Cup Golden Boot.
Women's World Cup 2019 Golden Boot winner
The last FIFA Women's World Cup in 2019 took place in France and was won by record holders USA. They had a star-studded tam featuring the likes of Rose Lavelle, Megan Rapinoe, and Alex Morgan.
The latter two both scored six goals in the tournament, alongside England's Ellen White, and picked up three assists. Rapinoe walked away with the Golden Boot as she had played 62 minutes fewer than Morgan.
Rapinoe also beat Lucy Bronze to the Golden Ball — the prize given to the tournament's best player — as USA won their fourth world title.
List of Women's World Cup Golden Boot winners
In the eight editions of the FIFA Women's World Cup, no player has managed to win the Golden Boot on more than one occasion.
USA's Michelle Akers holds the record for most goals in single a tournament, scoring 10 at the inaugural 1991 World Cup. Brazilian legend Marta, who is the all-time top scorer at Women's World Cups, also won the Golden Boot at the 2007 edition, which Germany ended up winning.
| Year | Host | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | China | Michelle Akers | 10 |
| 1995 | Sweden | Ann Kristin Aarones | 6 |
| 1999 | USA | Sun Wen / Sissi | 7 |
| 2003 | USA | Birgit Prinz | 7 |
| 2007 | China | Marta | 7 |
| 2011 | Germany | Homare Sawa | 5 |
| 2015 | Canada | Celia Sasic | 6 |
| 2019 | France | Megan Rapinoe | 6 |
2023 Women's World Cup Golden Boot candidates
Many players will be keen to get their hands on the Golden Boot at the 2023 Women's World Cup, although England forward Beth Mead will not get the chance. The winner of the Golden Boot from the UEFA Women's EURO 2022 will miss the World Cup due to injury.
Morgan will be looking to win the award after narrowly missing out to Rapinoe at the last tournament. Spain's Alexia Putellas, who missed the Euros last year due to an ACL injury, will also want to be amongst the goals on her return to the national side.
Netherlands and Arsenal striker Vivianne Miedema, who has an incredible scoring record for club and country, has confirmed she will miss the upcoming competition due to an ACL injury.
Host nation Australia star player Sam Kerr will be looking to make a big impact in front of her home crowd. The Chelsea forward scored the fourth most goals in the WSL this past season.