The World Cup Golden Boot Race has come down to exactly what everyone expected months ago. Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé enter the semifinals dead level at eight goals apiece, with a tiebreaker rule now separating two of the sport’s biggest icons at the top of the leaderboard.
Mbappé currently holds the top spot in the World Cup Golden Boot Race thanks to FIFA’s tiebreaker rules, having registered three assists to Messi’s two. If two or more players finish level on goals, assists decide the award, and if that’s also tied, the player who reached the total in fewer minutes wins it.
England pair Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham sit two goals back at six apiece, while Norway’s Erling Haaland finishes his tournament with seven goals after his team’s elimination in the quarterfinals. France’s Ousmane Dembélé rounds out the contenders with five goals.
This isn’t the first time Messi and Mbappé have battled for the trophy. In the 2022 final, Mbappé scored a hat trick to snatch the Golden Boot away from Messi on the tournament’s final day, even as Messi lifted the World Cup trophy itself. Messi has never won the individual scoring title despite being the all-time leading World Cup goalscorer with 21 career goals, one ahead of Mbappé’s 20. Both men have already passed Germany’s Miroslav Klose, who held the men’s record with 16 goals before this tournament began.
The World Cup Golden Boot Race has flipped back and forth all tournament. Messi grabbed the lead with a goal against Cape Verde in the round of 32, before Mbappé matched him on a penalty against Paraguay in the round of 16. Messi retook the edge with a dramatic equalizer against Egypt, only for Mbappé to level things again in the quarterfinal win over Morocco. Neither has trailed the other since, with both now needing every remaining match to pull ahead for good.
Mbappé’s France face Spain on Tuesday in Arlington, while Messi’s Argentina takes on England on Wednesday in Atlanta. Because both stars play in separate semifinals, each controls his own path without directly affecting the other’s total for now. Kane and Bellingham also get a chance to close the gap in Atlanta, needing goals and a deep run to have any real shot at catching the leaders.
If both France and Argentina reach Sunday’s final in New Jersey, the Golden Boot could be decided on the same pitch as the trophy itself, a rematch of 2022 with everything on the line. For live scoring updates as the semifinals unfold, FIFA’s official Golden Boot tracker will update in real time, while ESPN’s complete Golden Boot breakdown covers every contender in more depth.
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