Despite being level on goals after the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, France captain Kylian Mbappe has moved ahead of Argentina’s Lionel Messi in the race for the adidas Golden Boot.
FIFA confirmed on Sunday that Mbappe leads the standings after scoring his eighth goal of the tournament in France’s quarter-final victory over Morocco. The French forward has also registered three assists, giving him the edge over Messi, who has eight goals and two assists.
According to FIFA’s Golden Boot criteria, the award goes to the tournament’s highest goalscorer. If two or more players finish level on goals, assists are used as the first tiebreaker. Should players remain tied, the award is decided by total minutes played, with the player who has featured in fewer minutes ranked higher.
Mbappe currently leads Messi on assists and has also played fewer minutes.
Norway striker Erling Haaland remains third in the standings with seven goals after scoring twice in his side’s quarter-final win over Brazil.
England duo Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane are joint fourth with six goals and one assist each, while France winger Ousmane Dembele sits sixth on five goals and two assists.
Senegal’s Ismaila Sarr, Mexico’s Julian Quinones, Brazil’s Vinicius Junior and Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal complete the top 10 with four goals each and one assist.
According to FIFA, the Golden Boot rules state: “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.”
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
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
