Arokodare and Dessers lead six-way UEFA Conference League scoring race

The 2026/27 UEFA Conference League golden boot race remains finely balanced after Matchday 3, with six players tied on three goals and two Nigerian forwards among the early leaders.

Albian Ajeti of Lugano, Tolu Arokodare of Ajax, Niklas Castro and Noah Holm of Brann, Cyriel Dessers of Panathinaikos, and Dju Franculino of Trabzonspor have all scored three times. A further 19 players are one goal behind as the league phase develops.

Arokodare, who was born in Lagos, scored in each half of Ajax’s 6-1 win over Midtjylland. The Nigeria international, who is on loan at Ajax from Wolverhampton Wanderers, has made a quick impression in Amsterdam and has contributed in more than one competition.

Dessers is also part of the leading group after scoring twice against Kairat Almaty on Matchday 2. His goals took him to 13 in the UEFA Conference League from the group or league phase through to the final, matching the competition record held by Lech Poznan’s Mikael Ishak.

The Panathinaikos forward won the first UEFA Conference League golden boot in 2021/22, scoring 10 goals for Feyenoord. Another Nigerian, Gift Orban, who previously played for Gent, has also scored 10 times in the competition and is among its leading all-time scorers.

How the competition has developed

The tournament began in 2021/22 as the UEFA Europa Conference League, providing additional European opportunities, particularly for clubs from lower-ranked associations. It is the third tier of UEFA’s club competitions behind the Champions League and Europa League.

From 2024/25, the competition adopted the name UEFA Conference League and changed from a 32-team group stage to a 36-team league phase. Each club plays six matches, with three at home and three away.

The eight highest-ranked teams qualify directly for the round of 16. Those finishing from ninth to 24th contest knockout play-offs, while the eventual winners earn a place in the following season’s Europa League league phase unless they have already qualified for a higher-level competition.

Previous leading scorers include Dessers, with 10 goals in 2021/22; Zeki Amdouni and Arthur Cabral, who scored seven each in 2022/23; Ayoub El Kaabi, with 11 in 2023/24; Afimico Pululu, with eight in 2024/25; and Ismaila Sarr, who scored nine in 2025/26.

The competition has featured unexpected results, victories for underdogs and opportunities for emerging players and mid-ranking clubs. Nigerian forwards have played a significant role, with Dessers’ inaugural golden boot and record-equalling 13 goals, alongside Orban’s 10, underlining that impact.

Arokodare and Dessers are now chasing further goals as the league phase moves towards the knockout rounds and the 2027 final in Istanbul.