Will Messi win the World Cup Golden Boot? What does he need to do?

Heading into the World Cup final, Lionel Messi has one last chance to overtake Kylian Mbappé in the race for the tournament’s top scorer.

Details: After netting a brace in the third-place match, Mbappé brought his tally at the 2026 World Cup to 10 goals and 4 assists. Messi, ahead of the final against Spain, stands at 8 goals and 4 assists. With the Frenchman already done at the tournament, the fate of the award now rests entirely with the Argentine captain.

• Also read: Spain vs Argentina: Who will become world champions? Prediction - July 19, 2026.

To claim the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot, Messi must achieve one of three scenarios:

• Score a hat-trick—that would put the Argentine one goal ahead of Mbappé;
• Score twice and provide an assist—the players would be level on goals, but Messi would win thanks to more assists;
• Score twice within 54 minutes and leave the pitch—in this case, both players would have equal goals and assists, but Messi would have played fewer minutes.

If goals are tied, the Golden Boot goes first to the player with more assists, then to the one with fewer minutes played. Mbappé finished the tournament with 769 minutes, while Messi has logged 712 minutes ahead of the final.

The final between Spain and Argentina takes place on July 19, kicking off at 21:00 Central European Time.

Reminder: Making history! Mbappé equals Gerd Müller's 56-year-old record.