Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé have traded spectacular performances all summer long in a generational battle for the Golden Boot — and the French superstar didn’t let up in the third-place game.
Mbappé scored two goals and added an assist in France’s 6-4 loss to England. As it currently stands, with only the final left to play, Mbappé has 10 goals to Messi’s eight.
If Messi scores three goals against Spain on Saturday, the boot will be his. If he scores two goals, the winner of the award would come down to tiebreakers.
The tiebreaker is as follows:
- Most assists: The player with more assists wins.
- Fewest minutes played: If still tied, the award goes to the player who scored their goals in fewer total minutes on the pitch.
Currently, Messi and Mbappé both have four assists, but Messi will presumably pass Mbappé in minutes played after the championship game.
Let’s dive into the updated Golden Boot odds at FanDuel Sportsbook as of July 18.
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Golden Boot Winner 2026
Kylian Mbappé: -2500 (bet $10 to win $10.40 total)
Lionel Messi: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Here’s what to know about this oddsboard:
The Tally: So far this summer, Mbappé leads the tournament with 10 goals and Messi has eight.
History On the Line: Messi is now up to 21 career World Cup goals, which was the record for most goals by any man or woman in World Cup history. However, Mbappé, with his dominant offensive performance this tournament, now has 22 career World Cup goals, supplanting Messi as No. 1. If Mbappé wins the Golden Boot, he will be the first two-time winner in World Cup history and the first back-to-back winner in tournament history. If Messi wins the Golden Boot, it will be the first one of his career.
