France captain Kylian Mbappé has moved ahead of Argentina’s Lionel Messi in the race for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot despite both players scoring eight goals after the quarter-finals.

FIFA confirmed that Mbappé currently occupies the top spot after his goal in France’s 2-0 quarter-final victory over Morocco took his tally to eight goals and three assists.

Messi, who also has eight goals, ranks second with two assists, placing him behind the French forward on the tournament’s tiebreaker criteria.

Norway striker Erling Haaland remains third with seven goals after scoring twice in his side’s quarter-final win over Brazil, while England duo Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane are joint-fourth and fifth respectively with six goals and one assist each.

France winger Ousmane Dembélé is sixth with five goals and two assists, while Senegal’s Ismaïla Sarr, Mexico’s Julián Quiñones, Brazil’s Vinícius Júnior and Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal have four goals each.

According to FIFA, the Golden Boot will be awarded to the player with the highest number of goals at the end of the tournament. Where players are tied, assists will determine the winner, followed by total minutes played.

“If two or more players score the same number of goals, the number of assists, as determined by the members of the FIFA Technical Study Group, shall be decisive.

“If two or more players are still equal after taking into account the number of assists, the total minutes played in the tournament will be taken into account, with the player playing fewer minutes ranked first,” FIFA stated.

Mbappé has so far played fewer minutes than Messi, giving him an additional advantage if both players remain level on goals and assists.

Top 10 adidas Golden Boot standings after the quarter-finals:

1. Kylian Mbappé (France) – 8 goals, 3 assists

2. Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 8 goals, 2 assists

3. Erling Haaland (Norway) – 7 goals, 0 assists

4. Jude Bellingham (England) – 6 goals, 1 assist

5. Harry Kane (England) – 6 goals, 1 assist

6. Ousmane Dembélé (France) – 5 goals, 2 assists

7. Ismaïla Sarr (Senegal) – 4 goals, 1 assist

8. Julián Quiñones (Mexico) – 4 goals, 1 assist

9. Vinícius Júnior (Brazil) – 4 goals, 1 assist

10. Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain) – 4 goals, 1 assist