What happens if Messi and Mbappe finish tied for the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot?

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe are the two frontrunners to claim the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot, with one last match for both players to write their names onto the scoresheet. However, with the two stars currently deadlocked at the top of the standings, questions are rising over how the tie will be broken if the tournament ends with them level.

At the moment, Messi and Mbappe sit at the top of the tournament’s goalscoring charts, while also climbing the all-time World Cup scoring list. In this tournament, both forwards have found the back of the net eight times, raising Messi’s career World Cup total to 21 goals and Mbappé’s to 20, putting them in highly exclusive historical company.

While Messi will feature for Argentina in the World Cup final against Spain, Mbappe has one last opportunity to increase his tally as well. Following their semifinal defeat, France will face England (the losers of the other semifinal) in the third-place playoff, meaning both stars have one game remaining to break the tie.

Golden Boot tie-breaking criteria

Having both gone scoreless in the semifinals, Messi and Mbappe remain stuck on eight goals, leaving open the possibility that neither scores in their final match. If they remain tied at the end of the weekend, FIFA will turn to its official tie-breaking rules to determine the winner of the Golden Boot.

Lionel Messi #10 of Argentina celebrates after scoring a goal.

The award goes to the player with the most goals in the tournament, but if two or more players finish level, the tiebreakers are applied in the following order:

• If two or more players score the same number of goals, the number of assists (as determined by the members of the FIFA Technical Study Group) shall be decisive.
• If two or more players are still equal after taking into account the number of assists, the total minutes played in the tournament will be taken into account, with the player playing fewer minutes ranked first.

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Currently, Messi holds the tiebreaker advantage with four assists compared to Mbappe’s three. However, if the French forward records one assist in his final match while Messi does not, the tiebreaker would move to total playing time, where Mbappe currently holds the edge with 609 minutes played compared to Messi’s 620.

Could another player snatch the Golden Boot?

At the moment, Norway’s Erling Haaland is the closest pursuer with seven goals, though he cannot add to his tally since Norway has already been eliminated. However, there are still active players in the tournament who could theoretically overtake the leaders.

England forwards Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham both sit tied for fourth place with six goals and one assist each. While facing a tough French defense makes it a difficult task, a multi-goal performance from either player in the third-place match, combined with a scoreless final outing for Messi and Mbappé, could shake up the Golden Boot race at the very end.