Messi leads race for adidas Golden Boot

Lionel Messi has returned to the top of the adidas Golden Boot standings following Argentina’s dramatic FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final victory over England.

Although Argentina’s legendary player did not score in the victory match, after entering the game tied with Kylian Mbappe at eight goals, he has now surpassed the French forward by providing two more assists – serving as the first tiebreaker if players have scored an equal number of goals.

Mbappe did not score in the semi-final loss to Spain, but he has another chance to add to his goal tally in the bronze final in Miami on Saturday. Meanwhile, Messi faces Spain in the World Cup final in New York New Jersey on Sunday.

England’s Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham each have six goals heading into the Miami meeting with France, but Erling Haaland, with seven goals, is out of the race following Norway’s quarterfinal exit.

The top-10 adidas Golden Boot standings include Lionel Messi (8 goals, 4 assists), Kylian Mbappe (8, 3), Erling Haaland (7, 0), Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane (6, 1), Ousmane Dembele (5, 2), Mikel Oyarzabal (5, 1), and Ismaila Sarr, Julian Quinones, and Vinicius Junior (4, 1). 

According to the adidas Golden Boot criteria, the award goes to the top goal-scorer in the final competition. If players have the same number of goals, the number of assists (as determined by FIFA’s Technical Study Group) is used to break a tie.

If two or more players remain tied after accounting for the number of assists, the total minutes played in the tournament will be considered, and the player with fewer minutes will be ranked first.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that defending champions Argentina came from behind to defeat England 2-1, securing their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, where they will face Spain.