Football fans are awaiting the 2026 World Cup final today between Argentina and Spain, while attention is also drawn to the intense individual battle for the Golden Boot award, now narrowed down to Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé.

Mbappé ended his tournament campaign after scoring two goals in England's 6-4 victory over France in the third-place match, raising his tally to 10 goals and topping the scoring charts, while Messi has 8 goals before the final, leaving him 90 minutes, possibly 120, to turn the tables.

Although some believe that scoring two goals would be enough to give Messi the tournament's top scorer title, the matter is more complicated than that, as FIFA's regulations depend first on the number of goals, then on the number of assists in case of a tie, and if the tie persists, the player who has played fewer minutes during the tournament gets the advantage.

Both Messi and Mbappé currently have 4 assists each, which means that if the Argentine captain scores only two goals, his tally would rise to 10, tying with the French star in goals and assists, but the advantage would go to Mbappé.

This is because Mbappé finished the tournament after playing 698 minutes, while Messi played 618 minutes before the final, and with his participation in the final match, his total will reach at least 708 minutes if the match ends in regular time, or 738 minutes if it goes to extra time, giving the French forward the edge in the minutes played criterion.

Therefore, the easiest path for Messi to win the Golden Boot is to score 3 goals in the final to surpass Mbappé directly, or to score two goals and provide at least one assist, raising his tally to 10 goals and 5 assists, surpassing the French star in the assist criterion without needing to resort to minutes played.

The battle is not limited to the top scorer title of the current edition, but also extends to the all-time World Cup scorers list, after Mbappé raised his tally to 22 goals in his World Cup appearances, surpassing Messi who has 21 goals.

The Argentine captain will also have a chance to reclaim this historic record, as scoring two goals in the final would raise his tally to 23 goals, returning to the top of the all-time World Cup scorers list, combining individual glory with the opportunity to lead his national team to a new world title.

The final will also hold special significance for Messi on an individual level, as he has never won the Golden Boot award in the World Cup throughout his career, despite participating in six different editions of the tournament.

The Argentine star was close to the award in the 2022 World Cup, after scoring 7 goals and leading his country to the title, but he finished second in the scoring charts behind Kylian Mbappé, who ended the tournament with 8 goals, while Messi won the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament.

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