Messi Leads Golden Boot Race Ahead of World Cup Final

Lionel Messi, the captain of the Argentina National Team, currently leads the FIFA Golden Boot race with eight goals and four assists ahead of the 2026 World Cup final against Spain. Following him is France's Kylian Mbappé, who also has eight goals but three assists.

FIFA's rules state that assists serve as the first tiebreaker, meaning if both players finish with the same number of goals, Mbappé will have the opportunity to improve his tally during the third-place playoff against England. In the Golden Boot standings, Norway's Erling Haaland ranks third with seven goals despite his team's quarter-final exit.

England's Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane share fourth place with six goals each. Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal is the highest-ranked finalist, sitting seventh with five goals and one assist.

In FIFA's power rankings, Messi moved up five places in the creative category, providing two assists in Argentina's 2-1 semi-final victory over England.