pamIntroduction
The competition for the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot has become one of the trending talks of the tournament. Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé are both equal on eight goals, but Messi now has the advantage because of the assist in the last match he played.
According to the current news from the world cup tournament and reviews from UEFA, assists might be used to decide the winner of the golden boot award if two players have the same number of goals. This has made the final stage of this competition to be more interesting than the beginning.
How the Golden Boot Race Started
Messi began this tournament on the strong foot and gradually he became one of the top performers of this tournament. The Argentine captain has scored important and deciding goals during the group stage and he continued to influence games with his creative assist and team leadership.
Mbappé on the other side has also put out an outstanding performance for France. Mbappe has consistently scored goals in each match thereby helping his team to reach the semi finals of this tournament. His speed, finishing, and his attacking movement has proven him to be one of the biggest threats at the World Cup.
Yet, the most important and deciding moment of his journey in this tournament came in the semi-finals when Messi put out the best performance. He was able to provide two assists in Argentina’s late victory, which increased the total number of his assists which moved him ahead of Mbappé in the Golden Boot race.
The final match between Spain and Argentina will be played on the 19th of July 2026 and it is going to decide who is going to finish the tournament as a top scorer, but Messi currently still has the advantage of winning the golden boot.
Golden Boot Standings
- Lionel Messi (Argentina) — he has 8 goals, and 4 assists
- Kylian Mbappé (France) — has 8 goals, and 3 assists
- Jude Bellingham (England) — has 6 goals, and 1 assist
- Harry Kane (England) — has 6 goals, and 1 assist
- Ousmane Dembélé (France) — has 5 goals, and 2 assists
- Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain) — has 4 goals, and 1 assist
The France striker still had a chance to go ahead of Messi, but he needed to score more goals in the remaining tournament. While Messi on the other side only needs to maintain his goal scoring streak to claim the golden boot award in this tournament.
Previous World Cup Golden Boot Winners
- 2022: Kylian Mbappé (France) — scored 8 goals
- 2018: Harry Kane (England) — scored 6 goals
- 2014: James Rodríguez (Colombia) — scored 6 goals
- 2010: Thomas Müller (Germany) — scored 5 goals
- 2006: Miroslav Klose (Germany) — scored 5 goals
What to Expect in the Final Match
Messi has now taken control of the Golden Boot race. He created four assists that led to goals which gave him an advantage over Mbappé, what this means is that he does not actually or necessarily need another goal before gaving to win the golden boot award.
The final which will be played is going to bring back historic memories of legendary World Cup moments, just like the impact and effect which were made by players like Zinedine Zidane, who also played a major role in France’s World Cup history.
For fans who are keeping tract of the tournament, PamPredict will continue to deliver match insights, betting analysis, and also deliver football predictions that includes markets such as 1X2 predictions, over goals markets, and also deliver team performance analysis as well.
Whether Messi scores another goal or Mbappé delivers another great moment, the Golden Boot race is still going to be one of the most exciting histories of the 2026 World Cup.
