Lionel Messi took sole control of the race for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot after another decisive performance took Argentina to 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 in the tournament’s official tiebreaks and taking pole position to finish as the competition’s top scorer.
Messi advances after another decisive performance
Messi entered the semi-final level with Mbappé on eight goals after the two captains had dominated the scoring charts throughout the tournament.While no player has added to his goal in the last four, Messi’s influence has been decisive once again.With England leading 1-0 going into the final leg, the Argentina captain orchestrated the comeback by scoring both goals. He first found Enzo Fernández in the 85th minute for the equalizer before delivering another well-timed 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 took Messi’s tournament total to four, moving him ahead of Mbappé under FIFA’s Golden Boot tiebreak criteria.The latest rankings now read:
Rivals still have one last chance
While Messi currently leads the standings, the Golden Boot race is not yet mathematically decided.France and England meet in third place, meaning Kylian Mbappé, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham still have one last opportunity to add to their goals and challenge Messi’s lead.Mbappé remains the closest contender, standing only on assists after matching Messi’s eight goals. Kane and Bellingham, meanwhile, would need a significant scoring performance in the playoffs to close the gap.Erling Haaland is the only player among the main contenders who is no longer in contention, after Norway’s quarter-final exit.
Consistency defined Messi’s tournament
Messi’s advancement in the Golden Boot race reflects the consistency he has shown throughout Argentina’s title defence.The captain has directly contributed to Argentina’s attack at every stage of the tournament, combining for eight goals with four assists as he continues to decide the biggest games.Messi’s two assists took his World Cup career record to 12, the most by any player since Opta’s detailed tournament records began in 1966. He also extended his remarkable run of scoring or assisting to 13 consecutive World Cup games, another record unmatched in the same period.
One last chance to complete another historic campaign
Argentina will now face Spain in Sunday’s World Cup final at the New York New Jersey Stadium with the trophy and several individual honors 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 World Cup’s assist leader and lead Argentina to a second consecutive final.With their nearest rivals still having one final game to play in third place, the race remains technically open, but Messi holds the lead going into the final.Barring a dramatic change in the rankings, the Golden Scrap remains firmly in its grip.