Lionel Messi has taken sole control of the race for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot after another decisive performance carried Argentina into a second consecutive World Cup final. The 39-year-old produced two assists during Argentina’s dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over England in the semi-finals, moving ahead of France’s Kylian Mbappé on the tournament’s official tiebreakers and placing himself in pole position to finish as the competition’s leading player.
Messi edges ahead after another decisive performance
Messi entered the semi-finals level with Mbappé on eight goals after both captains had dominated the scoring charts throughout the tournament.While neither player added to their goal tally in the final four, Messi’s influence proved decisive once again.With England leading 1-0 entering the closing stages, the Argentina captain orchestrated the comeback by creating both goals. He first found Enzo Fernández in the 85th minute for the equaliser before delivering another pinpoint cross in stoppage time for Lautaro Martínez to head home the winner and send the reigning champions into Sunday’s final against Spain.Those two assists increased Messi’s tournament total to four, moving him ahead of Mbappé under FIFA’s Golden Boot tiebreak criteria.The latest standings now read:
Rivals still have one final opportunity
While Messi currently leads the standings, the Golden Boot race is not yet mathematically decided.France and England will meet in the third-place playoff, meaning Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham all still have one final opportunity to add to their goal tallies and challenge Messi’s lead.Mbappé remains the closest contender, trailing only on assists after matching Messi’s eight goals. Kane and Bellingham, meanwhile, would require a significant scoring performance in the playoff to close the gap.Erling Haaland is the only player among the leading contenders who is no longer in contention, following Norway’s quarter-final exit.
Consistency has defined Messi’s tournament
Messi’s lead in the Golden Boot race reflects the consistency he has shown throughout Argentina’s title defence.The captain has contributed directly to Argentina’s attacking output at every stage of the tournament, combining eight goals with four assists while continuing to decide the biggest matches.Messi’s two assists took his World Cup career tally to a record 12, the highest by any player since Opta’s detailed tournament records began in 1966. He also extended his extraordinary run of either scoring or assisting to 13 consecutive World Cup matches, another record unmatched in the same period.
One final opportunity to complete another historic campaign
Argentina will now meet Spain in Sunday’s World Cup final at New York New Jersey Stadium with both the trophy and several individual honours on the line.Messi already leads the Golden Boot standings, but another goal or assist against Spain would further strengthen his position while adding to a tournament that has already seen him become the outright World Cup assists leader and guide Argentina into a second successive final.With his closest rivals still having one final match to play in the third-place playoff, the race remains technically open, but Messi holds the advantage heading into the final.Barring a dramatic shift in the standings, the Golden Boot remains firmly within his grasp.
