The fierce contest for the Golden Boot crown in the 2026 FIFA World Cup continued to enthrall football-lovers across the planet as France captain Kylian Mbappe scored his seventh goal in the tournament to equal Argentina’s Lionel Messi at the top spot.

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However, the French ace was leading the Albiceleste talisman technically since he had also registered two assists in the competition, as against the latter’s zero.

Assists are the first criterion to decide the winner if two or more players are tied on the same number of goals.

Mbappe’s seventh came in Philadelphia, USA, where the former champions toiled hard to defeat an energetic Paraguay 1-0 in the Round of 32 in hot conditions. He scored from a penalty in the 70th minute, and it was the only score that separated the two teams. France next meet Morocco in Foxborough, USA, on July 9.

FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot race: After July 4 matches

Kylian Mbappe (France) 7 goals

Mbappe on the cusp of history

One more goal will see Mbappe becoming the first player ever to register eight goals in two different World Cups, following his feat in the 2022 edition. Argentina’s Guillermo Stabile (1930) and Brazil’s Ronaldo (2002) have achieved the feat once. In 2022, Mbappe won the Golden Boot with his tally of eight, beating Messi by one.

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Messi scored his seventh in the Round of 32 match against Cape Verde, a game that the defending champions won 3-2 in extra time. The Argentina captain is the only player to score seven goals in two different World Cups — 2022 and 2026.

Harry Kane, Haaland have 5

While none has six at the moment, England captain Harry Kane and Norway’s Erling Haaland were tied in second place with five goals each after the end of the Round of 32.

Four players have 4 goals each

Vinicius Junior of Brazil, Ousmane Dembele of France, Ismaila Sarr of Senegal and Mikel Oyarzabal of Spain have four goals each. Sarr, however, would not get another chance in this tournament as his team exited after losing to Belgium in the Round of 32.

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Thirteen players have scored three goals so far, including Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo. Twenty-seven have two, while 114 have one to their credit.

Who gets the Golden Boot?

The Golden Boot will be awarded to the player who scores the most goals in the tournament.

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 names still cannot be separated, the total minutes played in the tournament will be considered, with the player who appeared for fewer minutes ranked before the others.