FRANCE captain Kylian Mbappe has moved ahead of Argentina skipper Lionel Messi in the race for the adidas Golden Boot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite both players finishing the quarter-final stage with the same number of goals.
Mbappe reclaimed the top spot after scoring his eighth goal of the tournament in France’s quarter-final victory over Morocco, taking his overall tally to eight goals and three assists.
Messi, who also has eight goals to his name, trails the French forward in the standings after registering two assists, leaving the Argentina captain in second place.
Norway striker Erling Haaland remains third in the rankings with seven goals after scoring twice in his side’s quarter-final clash against Brazil.
England duo Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane are level on six goals and one assist each, occupying fourth and fifth positions respectively.
France winger Ousmane Dembele sits sixth on the standings with five goals and two assists, while Senegal’s Ismaila Sarr, Mexico’s Julian Quinones, Brazil’s Vinicius Junior and Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal have each scored four goals.
In a statement published on its website on Sunday, FIFA explained that the Golden Boot award would go to the player who finishes the tournament as the highest goalscorer.
The world football governing body also clarified the tie-break rules that apply when players finish with the same number of goals.
“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 stated.
So far in the tournament, Mbappe has played fewer minutes than Messi, giving the France captain an additional advantage should both players remain level on goals and assists.
The top 10 adidas Golden Boot standings after the quarter-finals are as follows:
Kylian Mbappe (France) – 8 goals, 3 assists
Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 8 goals, 2 assists
Erling Haaland (Norway) – 7 goals, 0 assists
Jude Bellingham (England) – 6 goals, 1 assist
Harry Kane (England) – 6 goals, 1 assist
Ousmane Dembele (France) – 5 goals, 2 assists
Ismaila Sarr (Senegal) – 4 goals, 1 assist
Julian Quinones (Mexico) – 4 goals, 1 assist
Vinicius Junior (Brazil) – 4 goals, 1 assist
Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain) – 4 goals, 1 assist.