The race for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot will be decided in the tournament’s final after France captain Kylian Mbappe surged to the top of the scoring chart with a brilliant brace in his side’s thrilling 6-4 defeat to England in the third-place playoff.
Mbappe’s two goals took his tournament tally to 10, giving him a two-goal advantage over Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who has one final opportunity to close the gap when his side faces Spain in Sunday’s championship match.
Messi must score at least twice in the final to draw level with Mbappe on goals. If he does, the Argentine legend would claim the Golden Boot on the tiebreaker, having provided more assists during the tournament. Any other outcome would see Mbappe become the first player to win the World Cup’s top scorer award twice.
Beyond the Golden Boot battle, the two football icons are also contesting the record for the most World Cup goals in history. Mbappe now leads with 22 career World Cup goals, one ahead of Messi.
The French forward’s remarkable scoring form has also etched his name into the tournament’s history books. His 10 goals are the highest by any player in a single men’s World Cup since Gerd Muller scored 10 for West Germany at the 1970 tournament.
Before the 2026 edition, only eight players had managed to score eight or more goals at a single World Cup — Just Fontaine, Sandor Kocsis, Ademir, Gerd Muller, Eusebio, Guillermo Stabile, Ronaldo and Mbappe himself.
The race for the Golden Boot has also featured standout performances from other stars. England midfielder Jude Bellingham climbed to third on the scoring chart with seven goals after finding the net against France, setting a new record for the most goals scored by an English player in a single World Cup.
Bellingham moved ahead of Norway’s Erling Haaland on assists, while England captain Harry Kane and France winger Ousmane Dembele remain in contention with six goals each.
With the World Cup title and individual honours still on the line, all eyes will now be on Messi as he attempts to deny Mbappe both the Golden Boot and another place in football history.
