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Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi share the lead in the top scorers' table of the with eight goals each, but the French forward holds the top position thanks to FIFA's tie-breaking criterion: the number of assists.
Mbappé has accumulated three assists compared to Messi's two, a difference that gives him a temporary advantage as the tournament is down to the semifinals, the third-place match, and the grand final.
The award for the tournament's top scorer, established in 1982, is decided in the event of a tie in goals by first giving priority to the player with the most assists and, if the tie persists, to the one who required the fewest minutes to reach that number.
The third place in the standings goes to Erling Haaland, who concluded his participation in the championship with seven goals following the elimination of Norway against England on Saturday by a score of 2-1 in the quarter-finals.
The Norwegian said goodbye to the tournament with a historic performance: he led his national team to the quarter-finals of a World Cup for the first time in history.
"We put Norway on the map," Haaland declared after the defeat.
In fourth and fifth places are the English players Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, both with six goals and one assist.
The Real Madrid midfielder is ahead of his teammate because he reached that figure in fewer minutes. Both will have the chance to improve their records when England faces Argentina in the semifinals on July 15.
The sixth position goes to Ousmane Dembélé, with five goals and two assists, a key player in the attack of a France team that will seek a spot in the final against Spain on July 14.
2026 World Cup Goal Scorers Table
- Kylian Mbappé (France): 8 goals and 3 assists.
- Lionel Messi (Argentina): 8 goals and 2 assists.
- Erling Haaland (Norway): 7 goals.
- Jude Bellingham (England): 6 goals and 1 assist.
- Harry Kane (England): 6 goals and 1 assist.
- Ousmane Dembélé (France): 5 goals and 2 assists.
The rivalry between Mbappé and Messi, which already defined the Qatar 2022 final, is now also shifting to the statistical realm.
Messi, at 39 years old, is the all-time leading goal scorer in World Cups with 21 goals in his entire career, having surpassed the record set by Miroslav Klose.
Mbappé, for his part, reached 20 historic world goals with his goal against Morocco in the quarter-finals, making him the second highest scorer in the history of the tournament.
Argentina, which defeated Switzerland 3-1 in extra time on Saturday, and France, which eliminated Morocco 2-0 on Thursday, are the teams of both stars and will continue in the competition for at least one more match, ensuring that the battle for the Golden Boot will not be decided until the final moments of the World Cup.
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