Lionel Messi moved to the top of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot standings after producing another decisive display in Argentina’s thrilling 2-1 semifinal victory over England at Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday. With the defending champions trailing after Anthony Gordon’s 55th-minute strike, Messi took control in the closing stages to orchestrate yet another remarkable comeback. The Argentina captain first drew multiple defenders onto him before slipping a precise pass into the path of Enzo Fernandez, who fired home the equaliser in the 85th minute. Messi then turned provider again in stoppage time, delivering a perfectly weighted right-footed cross for substitute Lautaro Martinez to head home the winner and send Argentina into Sunday’s final against Spain.
The two assists capped another memorable night for the 39-year-old, whose influence has been key to Argentina’s run to a second consecutive World Cup final. Messi now leads the Golden Boot race with eight goals and four assists, giving him 12 goal involvements in the tournament and moving him ahead of France captain Kylian Mbappe, who has eight goals and three assists.
Messi’s march to the final began with a hat-trick against Algeria in Argentina’s opening group-stage win, followed by a brace against Austria and a free-kick goal off the bench against Jordan. He then scored in the Round of 32 victory against Cabo Verde before registering a goal and an assist against Egypt in the Round of 16.
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The Argentina captain turned provider in the quarterfinal against Switzerland, setting up Alexis Mac Allister’s extra-time winner, before delivering two decisive assists in the semifinal comeback against England. His tally now stands at eight goals and four assists, the most goal contributions by any player at the tournament.
Beyond sending Argentina into the final, the victory also saw Messi extend his record as the leading assist provider in FIFA World Cup history. His two assists took his career tally to 12, the most by any player in the competition. Ten of those assists have come in knockout matches alone.
Messi is also the first footballer to register at least one assist in six different editions of the tournament. His tally places him comfortably ahead of Argentina legend Diego Maradona, who finished with eight assists, and Germany’s Pierre Littbarski, who recorded seven.
Messi now heads into the World Cup final as the favourite to win the Golden Boot, although the race is not over yet. Mbappe, who has matched Messi’s eight-goal tally, will have one final opportunity to improve his numbers when France take on England in the third-place playoff. Messi, meanwhile, will look to crown another remarkable World Cup campaign by leading Argentina against Spain with both the trophy and the Golden Boot within touching distance.
In the event that two or more players finish level on goals, FIFA first uses assists as the tiebreaker. If they are also tied on assists, the Golden Boot is awarded to the player who has played fewer minutes during the tournament.
With one match remaining for both Messi and Mbappe, here are the updated FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot standings:
| Rank | Player | Team | Goals | Assists |
| 1 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 8 | 4 |
| 2 | Kylian Mbappe | France | 8 | 3 |
| 3 | Erling Haaland | Norway | 7 | 0 |
| 4 | Jude Bellingham | England | 6 | 1 |
| 5 | Harry Kane | England | 6 | 1 |
| 6 | Ousmane Dembele | France | 5 | 2 |
| 7 | Mikel Oyarzabal | Spain | 5 | 1 |
| 8 | Ismaila Sarr | Senegal | 4 | 1 |
| 9 | Julian Quinones | Mexico | 4 | 1 |
| 10 | Vinicius Junior | Brazil | 4 | 1 |
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