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Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi remain locked on eight goals each in the race for the World Cup Golden Boot, with the France forward currently leading on assists after the semi-finals.
Mbappe returned to the front of the pack after scoring his eighth goal of the tournament in the quarter-final victory over Morocco. The Real Madrid forward failed to find the net in France’s 2-0 semi-final defeat to Spain, but has one more chance to add to his tally in the bronze final on Saturday . Messi, meanwhile, will contest the World Cup Final on Sunday if Argentina defeat England in the second semi-final.
Mbappe leads Messi by virtue of having more assists. FIFA’s tiebreaker criteria for the Golden Boot state that if two or more players score the same number of goals, the number of assists shall be decisive. Mbappe has three assists, while Messi has two.
The second tiebreaker, if players remain level on assists, is fewest minutes played — the player with the lower total minutes ranked first .
GOLDEN BOOT STANDINGS
| Rank | Player | Goals | Assists | Minutes Played | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kylian Mbappe (France) 🇫🇷 | 8 | 3 | 563 | One match remaining |
| 2 | Lionel Messi (Argentina) 🇦🇷 | 8 | 2 | 608 | One/two matches remaining |
| 3 | Erling Haaland (Norway) 🇳🇴 | 7 | 0 | 537 | ELIMINATED |
| 4 | Jude Bellingham (England) 🏴 | 6 | 1 | 574 | Active |
| 5 | Harry Kane (England) 🏴 | 6 | 1 | 627 | Active |
| 6 | Ousmane Dembele (France) 🇫🇷 | 5 | 2 | — | One match remaining |
| 7 | Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain) 🇪🇸 | 5 | 1 | — | One/two matches remaining |
| 8 | Ismaila Sarr (Senegal) 🇸🇳 | 4 | 1 | — | ELIMINATED |
| 9 | Julian Quinones (Mexico) 🇲🇽 | 4 | 1 | — | ELIMINATED |
| 10 | Vinicius Junior (Brazil) 🇧🇷 | 4 | 1 | — | ELIMINATED |
Based on FIFA statistics as of 13 July 2026
Kylian Mbappe — Has one match remaining (Third-Place Playoff on Saturday). The France star needs to score to stay ahead of Messi, or hope the Argentine is kept scoreless in his remaining matches.
Lionel Messi — Has the semi-final (if not played yet) and potentially the World Cup Final on Sunday. The Argentina captain needs to overtake Mbappe on goals or hope Mbappe fails to score in the bronze final.
Erling Haaland — Out of the running after Norway’s quarter-final exit to England. The striker finished with seven goals in his debut World Cup.
Jude Bellingham & Harry Kane — Both on six goals with the semi-final and potentially the final remaining. They could still challenge for the Golden Boot if they score multiple goals.
Mikel Oyarzabal — The Spain striker moved to five goals after scoring in the semi-final victory over France. He has the final remaining to add to his tally.
Ousmane Dembele — Finished with five goals for France, but has only the Third-Place Playoff remaining to add to his tally.
