Kylian Mbappe of France and Lionel Messi of Argentina are leading the FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot race with 8 goals each so far.
Published: July 15, 2026, 2:41 PM IST
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FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot race ahead of Argentina vs England semifinal. (Image: AI)
Argentina vs England FIFA World Cup 2026: France captain Kylian Mbappe suffered a major blow in his bid to win back-to-back Golden Boot titles as his side crashed out of the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a shocking 2-0 loss in the semifinal vs Spain at Dallas on Tuesday. Mbappe is currently leading the Golden Boot table with 8 goals and 3 assists in 666 minutes played in the tournament.
The French striker will have another opportunity to build on his FIFA World Cup 2026 tally when France take on the losing side of second semifinal between Argentina and England in the third place playoffs match at the Hard Rock stadium in Miami on Saturday. Argentina captain Lionel Messi is level on 8 goals with Mbappe but only in second place on the basis of one less assist – 2 as compared to 3 – in 608 minutes of play ahead of the last four clash against England.
Norway’s Erling Haaland is in third place with 7 goals and 0 assists in 537 minutes but his side have already crashed out of the quarterfinals stage. According FIFA regulations, if two or more players are level with same number of goals, they have a couple of tie-breakers to determine the leader.
FIFA tie-breaker rules in Golden Boot race…
If two or more football players are tied with same number of goals then the leader will be…
- Most assists: The player with the higher number of assists (determined by FIFA’s Technical Study Group) wins.
- Fewest minutes played: If assists are also equal, the award goes to the player who scored their goals in the fewest minutes on the pitch.
Two England players are still in contention to go past Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race. England’s Jude Bellingham has climbed to 4th place with two goals against Norway in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinals last week. The Read Madrid mid-fielder now has 6 goals and 1 assist in 574 minutes.
English captain Harry Kane has slipped to fifth place with 6 goals and 1 assist in 627 minutes – on the basis of more minutes played as compared to his teammate Bellingham.
Here is current FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot table…
| Rank | Player | County | Goals | Assists | Mins. Played |
| 1 | Kylian Mbappe | France | 8 | 3 | 666 |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 8 | 1 | 608 |
| 3 | Erling Haaland | Norway | 7 | 0 | 537 |
| 4 | Jude Bellingham | England | 6 | 1 | 574 |
| 5 | Harry Kane | England | 6 | 1 | 627 |
Mbappe could become the first-ever player in the history of the World Cup to win back-to-back Golden Boot awards. The French striker can become the first-ever football players to win successive Golden Boot awards in the history of World Cup.
Messi and Mbappe are the only two football players with 10-plus involvements (goals and assists) in back-to-back Wold Cup editions – 2022 and 2026.
Last 5 winners of FIFA World Cup Golden Boot
| World Cup | Winner | Country | Goals |
| 2022 (Qatar) | Kylian Mbappé | France | 8 |
| 2018 (Russia) | Harry Kane | England | 6 |
| 2014 (Brazil) | James Rodríguez | Colombia | 6 |
| 2010 (South Africa) | Thomas Müller | Germany | 5 |
| 2006 (Germany) | Miroslav Klose | Germany | 5 |
Argentina are attempting to reach their second successive World Cup final when they take on England at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Wednesday. They can become just the fourth nation after Brazil, Germany and Italy to win four or more World Cup titles.
