New York New Jersey: Messi leads Golden Boot race as World Cup final approaches

By Rohan Gupta — 16 July 2026 — 3 min read

Lionel Messi of Argentina currently holds the lead in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot race, following a decisive performance that secured Argentina’s spot in a second consecutive World Cup final. The 39-year-old contributed two assists in Argentina’s 2-1 semi-final victory over England, placing him ahead of France‘s Kylian Mbappé based on official tiebreakers.

Messi and Mbappé are tied with eight goals each, but Messi’s four assists give him the advantage over Mbappé’s three. This puts the Argentinian captain in a strong position to claim the award, which is given to the player with the most goals in the tournament. In cases of a tie in goals, the player with more assists is awarded the Golden Boot. If assists are also tied, the player with fewer minutes played is the tiebreaker.

Messi’s Path to the Lead

Messi entered the semi-finals level with Mbappé on eight goals. Although neither player scored in the semi-final matches, Messi’s impact was crucial. With England leading 1-0 in the closing stages, Messi orchestrated Argentina’s comeback. He provided an assist to Enzo Fernández for the equaliser in the 85th minute and then delivered another precise cross in stoppage time for Lautaro Martínez to score the winning goal. These two assists increased Messi’s tournament total to four, moving him ahead of Mbappé in the Golden Boot standings.

This consistent performance has been a hallmark of Messi’s tournament. He has directly contributed to Argentina’s attacking efforts at every stage, combining his eight goals with four assists and proving decisive in key matches. His two assists in the semi-final also brought his World Cup career assist tally to a record 12, the highest since detailed tournament records began in 1966. Furthermore, he has extended an extraordinary streak of either scoring or assisting in 13 consecutive World Cup matches, a record unmatched in the same period.

Argentina will now face Spain in the World Cup final at New York New Jersey Stadium. A goal or an assist in the final would further solidify Messi’s lead and add to a tournament where he has already become the outright World Cup assists leader and guided Argentina to another final.

Contenders Still in the Race

Despite Messi’s current lead, the Golden Boot race is not yet mathematically decided. Mbappé, Harry Kane, and Jude Bellingham all have one final opportunity to add to their goal tallies in the third-place playoff match between France and England. Mbappé remains the closest challenger, trailing Messi only on assists, with both players having scored eight goals.

Kane and Bellingham, both with six goals and one assist, would require significant scoring performances in the playoff to close the gap. Erling Haaland, who scored seven goals, is no longer in contention as Norway was eliminated in the quarter-finals. Other players like Ousmane Dembélé, with five goals and two assists, and Mikel Oyarzabal, with five goals and one assist, are considered long shots for the award.

Historically, no player has ever won the Golden Boot twice, and Messi is yet to claim the award. Mbappé was the winner in 2022 with eight goals. The 2026 World Cup has seen one of the highest-scoring races in the tournament’s history, with Messi and Mbappé already tied on eight goals with two games remaining for some contenders. On only five previous occasions has a player needed more than eight goals to win the Golden Boot, and never before have two or more players reached that total.

The Golden Boot is awarded to the top goal scorer, with assists and then fewer minutes played serving as tiebreakers. Messi’s current position with eight goals and four assists gives him a strong advantage heading into the final, but the outcome will not be fully determined until after the third-place match on July 19.

Source: eu.usatoday.com

Rohan Gupta

Sports Reporter