How Can Messi Beat Mbappe To Win WC 2026 Golden Boot? All Scenarios Explained

The FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot race will continue between Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe during the final between Spain and Argentina on Sunday. Mbappe scored twice to take his goals tally in this year's competition to 10 and although France slumped to a 6-4 loss against England in the three-place clash, the French superstar put himself in a brilliant position with respect to the Golden Boot race. Although it is certainly not game over for Messi who has 8 goals and 4 assists to his name, it will be a tall task for the Argentina football team superstar if he wants to beat Mbappe to claim the big prize.

How can Messi beat Mbappe to win the FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot?

The most straightforward way for Messi to win the Golden Boot is to outscore Mbappe. However, it will mean that he will have to score at least a hat-trick in the final against Spain. It will take his tally to 11 goals - one more than Mbappe.

If Messi scores 2 goals and provide one assist, it will also be enough to hand him the Golden Boot. Currently, Mbappe has 10 goals and 4 assists while Messi has 8 goals and 4 assists. In this scenario, both players will have the same number of goals but according to FIFA tie-breaker rules, Messi will receive the award thanks to superior number of assists.

Earlier, Kylian Mbappe said that he believes Lionel Messi will reclaim the FIFA World Cup's all-time scoring record in Monday's final against Spain, just hours after overtaking the Argentina legend on the competition's overall scoring charts.

“Leo, he scores all the time. Tomorrow he will score, for sure,” Mbappe told Fox Sports after the match.

Despite the personal milestone, Mbappe admitted the record offered little consolation after France missed out on a podium finish. “I just try to help my team every time. It's certain that when you score so many goals in the World Cup, it elevates you to certain levels. But I would have preferred not to be the top scorer in history and play the match tomorrow,” he said.

(With agency inputs)

Source: NDTV Trending