Messi Takes Golden Boot Lead Over Mbappé Ahead of Final

The race for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot will be decided this weekend, with Argentina’s Lionel Messi and France’s Kylian Mbappé currently tied at the top of the scoring charts with eight goals each. The final two matches of the tournament, the third-place playoff between England and France on Saturday, July 18, and the final between Spain and Argentina on Sunday, July 19, will determine the winner.

Messi moved ahead of Mbappé on the tiebreaker for the award, which is determined by assists, after providing two assists in Argentina’s 2-1 semifinal victory over England on Wednesday, July 15. The Argentine captain now has four assists in the tournament compared to Mbappé’s two. Both players remain in strong contention to win the prize outright with one match remaining for each of their teams.

Several other players also have a mathematical chance to claim the Golden Boot. Norway’s Erling Haaland, whose team was eliminated in the quarterfinals, sits in third place with seven goals. England’s Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have each scored six goals and could add to their tallies in the third-place match. France’s Ousmane Dembélé and Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal, with five goals...