FIFA has confirmed that France captain Kylian Mbappé currently holds the advantage over Argentina skipper Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The world football governing body clarified the standings on Sunday as the tournament heads into the semi-final stage, with both stars locked on eight goals.
Despite being level on goals, Mbappe occupies the top spot because he has registered three assists during the competition, compared to Messi’s one.
Norway forward Erling Haaland, whose team has already exited the tournament, remains in contention with seven goals.
England teammates Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane are next on the scoring chart, with both players recording six goals and one assist each.
Explaining how the award is determined when players finish level on goals, FIFA said:
“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.”
The governing body added that if players remain inseparable after goals and assists, playing time becomes the deciding factor.
“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.”
With the World Cup semi-finals still to be played, both Mbappe and Messi have the opportunity to add to their tallies as they chase the tournament’s top scorer award.
