FIFA has confirmed that France captain Kylian Mbappé is currently leading the race for the Golden Boot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and holds the advantage over Argentina skipper Lionel Messi in the race for the award.‎Both players are tied on 8 goals, but Messi is behind Mbappe.Explaining how the award is determined when players finish level on goals, FIFA said: “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 players remain inseparable after goals and assists, playing time becomes the deciding factor