New York, Jul 01 (V7N) — The race for the Golden Boot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup has intensified as France captain Kylian Mbappé moved ahead of Argentina's Lionel Messi to become the tournament's leading scorer.
Mbappé climbed to the top of the standings after scoring twice in France's 3-0 Round of 32 victory over Sweden. The French forward had previously netted two goals against Senegal and another brace against Iraq, taking his tournament tally to six goals.
Although both Mbappé and Messi have scored six goals, the French star currently leads the Golden Boot race on the first tiebreaker, having provided two assists, compared with Messi's total.
Messi scored his sixth goal of the tournament with a trademark free-kick in Argentina's final Group J match against Jordan. Earlier in the competition, the Argentine captain registered a hat-trick against Algeria before adding two goals against Austria.
The reigning world champion will have another opportunity to add to his tally when Argentina face Cape Verde in the Round of 16 on Friday.
Norway striker Erling Haaland also remains firmly in contention after scoring the decisive goal in his side's 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast in the Round of 32. His fifth goal of the tournament leaves him just one strike behind Mbappé and Messi.
Three players have recorded hat-tricks so far at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Messi achieved the feat against Algeria, France winger Ousmane Dembélé scored three times against Norway, and Canada forward Jonathan David netted a hat-trick in his country's historic 6-0 victory over Qatar.
With the knockout rounds now underway, the battle for the Golden Boot is expected to remain fiercely contested, with Mbappé, Messi, Haaland and several other leading forwards still in contention for the tournament's top individual scoring honor.
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