France’s Kylian Mbappe pulled ahead in the Golden Boot race in the FIFA World Cup 2026 after he scored twice against England in the third-place match on Saturday.
Mbappe is now two goals clear of second-placed Lionel Messi, who will be in action in the final for Argentina against Spain on Sunday.
The Frenchman also set up a goal against England, pulling him level with Messi on assist count (4), which is the first tiebreaking stat in the Golden Boot race, if two players end up with the same number of goals.
Logically, Messi has to score at least twice in the final to stand a chance to win his first World Cup Golden Boot.
To be assured of claiming the prize, Messi will have to score at least two goals and provide at least one assist against Spain.
If Messi scores just two goals and doesn’t provide an assist, the next tie-breaker will come into effect – minutes played (the fewer the better). As it stands, Mbappe has played just 57 minutes more than the Argentine.
Against Spain, Messi is almost guaranteed to play the entire stretch of 90 minutes, if not more. This would mean that he will most likely end with more minutes than Mbappe. This in turn would mean that a two-goal, no-assist output won’t be enough for Messi to win the Golden Boot.
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Published on Jul 19, 2026