Who wins the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot if there is a tie? How the top scorer tiebreakers work
With the winner of the Golden Boot still to be settled, we take a look at what happens when multiple players finish level on goals.
The race for the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot has reached its decisive stage. With just the final and the third-place match still to be played, several players remain in contention to finish the tournament as its leading scorer.
However, if two or more players end up level on goals at the top of the standings, FIFA has a series of tiebreakers in place to determine who takes home the award.
Who’s in the hunt for the 2026 Golden Boot?
Over the years, stars such as Ronaldo Nazário, Miroslav Klose, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé have all claimed the trophy. Kane and Mbappé are now aiming to finish as the World Cup’s top scorer once again. As it stands, the Frenchman has eight goals in North America, level with Argentina’s Lionel Messi at the head of the Golden Boot leaderboard.
Norway’s Erling Haaland, whose team’s tournament is over, has seven goals, one more than England’s Kane and Jude Bellingham, who round out the top five with six goals apiece.
With the leaderboard so tightly packed, there is a real possibility that multiple players could finish the 2026 World Cup tied on goals at the top of the rankings, forcing FIFA to turn to its tiebreaking criteria to determine the Golden Boot winner.
What tiebreakers are used?
If two or more players finish the World Cup with the same number of goals, FIFA gives the edge to the player who has recorded the most assists during the tournament. That is why Messi will head into Argentina’s final against Spain as the World Cup’s leading scorer, having provided one more assist than Mbappé.
However, if the players are also level on assists, the next tiebreaker is minutes played. In that case, the award goes to the player who required fewer minutes to rack up his tally of strikes, rewarding greater efficiency in front of goal.
2026 Golden Boot standings:
- Lionel Messi: 8 goals, 4 assists
- Kylian Mbappé: 8 goals, 3 assists
- Erling Haaland: 7 goals, 0 assists
- Jude Bellingham: 6 goals, 1 assist
- Harry Kane: 6 goals, 1 assist
2026 World Cup - remaining games:
Saturday, July 18: third-place match
- 5:00 p.m. ET, Miami: France vs England
Sunday, July 19: final
- 3:00 p.m. ET, New York-New Jersey: Spain vs Argentina
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