Mbappe Leads Messi In FIFA World Cup Golden Boot Race

France captain Kylian Mbappe has moved ahead of Argentina’s Lionel Messi in the race for the adidas Golden Boot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite both players scoring eight goals after the quarter-finals.

FIFA confirmed that Mbappe currently tops the standings because he has registered more assists than Messi. The French forward has eight goals and three assists, while the Argentine captain has eight goals and two assists.

Mbappe reclaimed first place after scoring in France’s quarter-final victory over Morocco.

Norway striker Erling Haaland remains third in the rankings with seven goals after scoring twice in his side’s quarter-final win over Brazil.

England duo Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane occupy fourth and fifth positions respectively, with both players recording six goals and one assist.

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France’s Ousmane Dembele sits sixth with five goals and two assists, while Senegal’s Ismaila Sarr, Mexico’s Julian Quinones, Brazil’s Vinicius Junior and Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal complete the top 10 with four goals each.

Golden Boot Rules

According to FIFA, the adidas Golden Boot is awarded to the player who finishes the tournament as the highest goalscorer.

“If two or more players score the same number of goals, the number of assists (as determined by the members of the FIFA Technical Study Group) shall be decisive.

“If two or more players are still equal after taking into account the number of assists, the total minutes played in the tournament will be taken into account, with the player playing fewer minutes ranked first,” FIFA said.

With Mbappe and Messi level on goals, the French captain currently holds the advantage due to his superior assist tally. FIFA also noted that, if both players were level on assists, the player with fewer minutes played would rank higher. At present, Mbappe has featured for fewer minutes than Messi.

Top 10 adidas Golden Boot standings after the quarter-finals

1. Kylian Mbappe (France) – 8 goals, 3 assists
2. Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 8 goals, 2 assists
3. Erling Haaland (Norway) – 7 goals
4. Jude Bellingham (England) – 6 goals, 1 assist
5. Harry Kane (England) – 6 goals, 1 assist
6. Ousmane Dembele (France) – 5 goals, 2 assists
7. Ismaila Sarr (Senegal) – 4 goals, 1 assist
8. Julian Quinones (Mexico) – 4 goals, 1 assist
9. Vinicius Junior (Brazil) – 4 goals, 1 assist
10. Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain) – 4 goals, 1 assist