The race to win the ‘Golden Boot’ award is heating up as the FIFA World Cup 2026 enters its final stages. Three contenders are currently leading the pack in their attempt to win the coveted trophy, formerly held by legends of football. Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland are neck-and-neck to win the award.

The Hindu’s live coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2026

Who is in the lead to win the Golden Boot? 

Argentina’s Lionel Messi currently tops the chart with his 8 goals and an assist. Kylian Mbappe of France (seven goals and two assists) and Norway’s Erling Haaland (seven goals, no assists) are close behind. England captain Harry Kane is right behind these players with six goals.

Here are the players currently in the race:

Who are the recent Golden Boot winners?

Kylian Mbappe won the award at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar for scoring 8 goals, just ahead of Messi’s 7.

In 2018, Harry Kane won for scoring 6 goals and Colombia’s James Rodriguez was the recipient in 2014, also scoring 6 goals.

FIFA World Cup: Quarterfinals, semifinals and final — schedule and timings

How is the Golden Boot winner decided?

The boot is awarded to the player who scores the most goals by the end of the tournament, and is given to the player after the final. Players with the second- and third-highest goals are handed the Silver Boot and Bronze Boot respectively.

What if it’s a tie?

If two or more players have the same number of goals, the winner is decided on the number of assists. The player with the most assists wins the award. If the players are still tied after including assists, the Boot is awarded to the player who scored their goals and assists in the least amount of playing time. 

Has there ever been a tie for the Golden Boot?

In 1962, six players were tied for the top honour and the award simply went to all of them. In 1994, a two-way tie led to the award being shared again. In the same year, FIFA introduced the concept of tie-breakers so that only one player is awarded with the boot.

Famously, in 2010, Thomas Müller, David Villa, Wesley Sneijder and Diego Forlán all tied with five goals each. The German player Müller won the award as he had two more assists than the others.