Messi overtakes Mbappé in World Cup scoring race after France's exit

Kylian Mbappé left the 2026 World Cup semi-finals without a goal and without the top scorer award. Beaten 2-0 by Spain, the French striker cedes the lead in the standings to Lionel Messi, who was also held scoreless in Argentina’s 2-1 victory over England.

The two players are in perfect equality with eight goals each, but the competition regulations settle the tie-breaker in favor of the number of assists. Messi has four — including two decisive passes against England for Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez — against three for Mbappé. That is enough for the Argentine to reclaim first place.

The situation is all the more cruel for Mbappé because history is repeating itself in reverse. In 2022, he won the Golden Boot with eight goals, ahead of precisely Messi, who had scored seven. Four years later, the roles are reversed and the Bondy native finds himself in the position of the observer.

Messi is also closing in on Michael Olise in the assists standings, the latter having five assists in total. The Argentine will play the final against Spain with an additional opportunity to add to his statistics.

Mbappé, meanwhile, will only face England in the third-place match, a game without major sporting stakes. The race for the Golden Boot could be an individual motivation: to overtake Messi, he will need to score and hope that the Argentine remains silent in the final. An uncertain equation for the France captain, whose 2026 World Cup ends without the collective title he hoped for.