Overview
- As of Saturday, July 18, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé sit level on eight goals with only the World Cup final and the third-place playoff left to play.
- FIFA counts goals from every official match including the third-place game and will use assists first and then fewest minutes played to break any tie for the Golden Boot.
- Several other players can still change the outcome: Erling Haaland has seven goals while Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have six and most of the top scorers have one match remaining.
- If Mbappé or another player scores in the remaining matches they could become the tournament’s top scorer, and Mbappé or Kane could potentially claim a second Golden Boot if tiebreakers fall their way.
- No player has ever won the World Cup Golden Boot more than once, so the final fixtures carry weight for records and for how these players’ tournament legacies are remembered.