Mbappe leads Golden Boot race as Messi aims to respond in final

By Chukwuemeka Umeh — 19 July 2026 — 3 min read

Golden Boot Race Intensifies

The race for the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot has reached a critical stage, with the final match set to determine the winner. Kylian Mbappe of France currently leads the standings after scoring two goals in the third-place play-off against England. His performance in the France versus England match, which England won 6-4, moved him ahead of Lionel Messi.

Mbappe‘s two goals brought his tournament total to 10, making him the first player to reach double figures in a single edition of the men’s World Cup this century. The last player to achieve this feat was Gerd Muller for West Germany in 1970. This achievement places Mbappe among a select group of players who have scored eight or more goals in a single World Cup, including Just Fontaine, Sandor Kocsis, Ademir, Eusebio, Guillermo Stabile, and Ronaldo.

Messi, representing Argentina, has the opportunity to respond in the final match against Spain. If Messi scores two goals in the final, he would claim the Golden Boot due to having more assists. If he scores less than two goals, Mbappe would become the first player to win the award twice.

All-Time Scoring Battle

Beyond the current tournament’s top scorer award, Mbappe and Messi are also in contention for the title of the World Cup‘s all-time leading scorer. Mbappe currently holds the lead in this race with 22 goals, while Messi is one goal behind. Both players have surpassed Miroslav Klose of Germany on the all-time scoring chart during the 2026 tournament.

The competition between the two players has been a feature of this World Cup. Both have had opportunities to increase their tallies through penalties, though Messi has missed two during the tournament and Mbappe has missed one. Messi has registered four assists in the tournament, including two in the semi-final win against England. Mbappe equalled this assist total in the third-place play-off.

Other notable players in the Golden Boot standings include England‘s Jude Bellingham, who moved into third place with seven goals after scoring against France. This marks the most goals an Englishman has scored in a single World Cup. Bellingham‘s assist count places him ahead of Erling Haaland. England captain Harry Kane is one goal behind Bellingham, alongside France‘s Ousmane Dembele.

Tie-breaking Criteria

Should multiple players finish the tournament with the same number of goals, FIFA has established tie-breaking criteria. The first criterion is the number of assists recorded during the tournament. If players are still level on assists, the next tie-breaker is the fewest minutes played, with the award going to the player who achieved their goal tally in less time.

Messi has previously received the Golden Ball award for the World Cup‘s best player overall in both 2014 and 2022. However, he has not yet won the Golden Boot. The final match against Spain presents his last opportunity in this tournament to claim the award.

The 2026 World Cup has been noted for its high-scoring matches, particularly in the third-place play-off. Historically, these matches have often been goal-fests, with two or more goals scored in every instance since Poland‘s 1-0 victory over Brazil in 1974. Just Fontaine holds the record for the most goals by an individual in a single World Cup match, scoring four times in France‘s 6-3 defeat of West Germany in 1958.

Source: bbc.com