Over to you, Messi - Mbappe leads Golden Boot race for the ages

What the report says

BBC Sport reports that the 2026 men’s World Cup Golden Boot race will be decided in the final, with Kylian Mbappe currently ahead of Lionel Messi by two goals. Mbappe scored twice for France in a 6-4 loss to England in the third-place play-off, taking him to 10 goals for the tournament. Messi, who has one match remaining for Argentina against Spain in Sunday’s final, sits two behind.

According to the BBC, Mbappe and Messi are level on four assists, the first tie-breaker if players finish with the same number of goals. If they also remain tied on assists, the award goes to the player with fewer minutes played. The scenarios outlined by BBC Sport say Messi would take the Golden Boot by scoring a hat-trick, scoring twice while adding an assist, or scoring twice and playing fewer than 56 minutes. Otherwise, Mbappe would win the award.

The race also carries historical weight. BBC Sport says Mbappe would become the first player to win the Golden Boot twice if he stays ahead. He has also moved to 22 career World Cup goals, one more than Messi, in their contest to become the tournament’s all-time leading scorer. His 10 goals are described as the highest single-tournament total this century, with Gerd Muller in 1970 cited as the last men’s World Cup player to reach double figures.

The BBC also notes strong scoring totals elsewhere: England’s Jude Bellingham is third on seven goals after scoring against France, ahead of Erling Haaland on assists, with Harry Kane and Ousmane Dembele one goal further back.