Mbappe and Messi share Golden Boot lead on eight goals each at World Cup 2026

Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi are deadlocked at the top of the World Cup 2026 Golden Boot standings with eight goals each, as the tournament enters its final stages with only a handful of nations still in contention for the trophy.

Messi has scored against Algeria, Austria and Jordan in the group stage, then added further goals against Cape Verde and Egypt in the knockout rounds. The Argentina captain has now scored in nine consecutive World Cup matches. Mbappe, meanwhile, found the net against Senegal, Iraq and Sweden in the group stage before delivering decisive goals against Paraguay and Morocco.

Should the two remain level on goals at the end of the tournament, the tiebreaker rules favour Mbappe. The first decider is assists, where the France forward holds a significant edge — three to Messi’s one. If that remains level, the award goes to the player who spent fewer minutes on the pitch.

Erling Haaland is the most dangerous challenger, sitting one goal back on seven for Norway. England’s Harry Kane is on six, while France’s Ousmane Dembele is in contention with five.

Mbappe is the defending Golden Boot holder, having claimed the award at World Cup 2022 in Qatar with eight goals, including a hat-trick in the final against Argentina.

Beyond the individual race, both players have rewritten the history books during this tournament. Messi and Mbappe have surpassed Germany’s Miroslav Klose, who previously held the all-time World Cup scoring record with 16 career goals. Messi now leads the all-time list with 21 World Cup goals, with Mbappe second on 20.