The race for the Golden Boot at the 2026 World Cup has intensified as the competition continues among the tournament's top stars, led by Frenchman Kylian Mbappé and Argentine Lionel Messi, who are tied for top scorer with 8 goals each.

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Despite the two stars being tied on goals, Mbappé leads the scoring chart according to FIFA regulations, which use more than one criterion to decide the winner. FIFA rules state that the first criterion is the number of goals scored, and if two or more players are tied, the number of assists is used, with the player who has provided more assists taking precedence. Accordingly, Mbappé currently leads Messi in the standings, as the France captain has provided 3 assists compared to the Argentina captain's 1 assist. If the tie in goals and assists persists, the third criterion is playing time, with preference given to the player who achieved their tally in fewer minutes. Even before the quarterfinal matches, Mbappé had played 563 minutes in the tournament compared to Messi's 468 minutes, meaning the Argentine star would have the advantage in this criterion if tied with his rivals in goals and assists.

The race is not limited to the duo of Mbappé and Messi, as Norway's Erling Haaland continues his pursuit with 7 goals, while England's Harry Kane has 6 goals, and France's Ousmane Dembélé is on 5 goals, with all players still in contention, keeping the Golden Boot race open until the later stages of the tournament.

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup saw a similar application of these regulations when Spain's Gonzalo García won the top scorer award despite being tied with three players on four goals, thanks to his superiority in assists, confirming FIFA's use of these criteria to decide individual awards when players are tied on goals.