Despite being level on goals after the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, FIFA has confirmed that France captain Kylian Mbappe currently leads Argentina skipper Lionel Messi in the adidas Golden Boot standings.
Mbappe moved back to the top after netting his eighth goal of the tournament during France’s quarter-final win over Morocco. The French forward has now registered eight goals and three assists.
Although Messi has also scored eight goals, the Argentine captain sits second with two assists, placing him behind Mbappe in the race for the award.
Norway’s Erling Haaland occupies third place with seven goals after scoring twice against Brazil in the quarter-finals. England duo Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane are next, each with six goals and one assist.
France winger Ousmane Dembele is 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 have all recorded four goals.
Golden Boot Rules
In a statement published on FIFA’s website on Sunday, the governing body explained that the Golden Boot will go to the player who ends the tournament as its highest scorer.
“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,” the football body said.
At this stage of the competition, Mbappe has featured for fewer minutes than Messi.
Top 10 adidas Golden Boot standings after the quarter-finals
- 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
