World Cup 2026 golden boot: Kylian Mbappe leads Lionel Messi as thrilling race heads to final

WE have reached the World Cup final – and the Golden Boot is still up for grabs! There have been four winners of the World Cup Golden Boot since it re-branded from the Golden Shoe for the 2010 tournament. Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Boot in 2022, despite losing the final Credit: Getty A young Thomas Muller won the Golden Boot when it was re-named in South Africa Credit: PA:Press Association WORLD CUP 2026 FREE BETS AND SIGN UP OFFERS Thomas Muller won the first in South Africa, scoring five times as Germany finished third at the tournament, scoring in the third place playoff against Uruguay. James Rodriguez burst onto the scene in Brazil to win the 2014 Golden Boot with six goals, beating out Muller, who scored five goals in 2014. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! An Englishman won in 2018, as Harry Kane netted six times for the Three Lions, as they finished fourth in Russia. France’s Kylian Mbappe put his name in history and won the 2022 Golden Boot with eight goals, including a hat-trick in the World Cup final against Argentina, beating out Lionel Messi, who struck seven. The two superstars are going head-to-head for the individual accolade once again in North America, with the race neck and neck as the final arrives. SunSport can reveal who is leading the way for the Golden Boot in 2026. WORLD CUP FINAL LIVE: ALL THE LATEST FROM SPAIN VS ARGENTINA Who is leading the race for the Golden Boot? This is who is leading the way for the Golden Boot at the World Cup: 1 Kylian Mbappe (France) – 10 (4 assists) Most read in Sport 2 Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 8 (4 assists) T-3 Jude Bellingham (England) – 7 (1 assist) T-3 Erling Haaland (Norway) – 7 T-5 Ousmane Dembele (France) – 5 (2 assists) T-5 Harry Kane (England) – 6 (1 assist) 7 Mikel Oyarzabal (Spain) – 5 (1 assist) T-8 Vinicius Jr (Brazil) – 4 (1 assist) T-8 Ismaila Sarr (Senegal) – 4 (1 assist) T-8 Julian Quinones – 4 (1 assist) World Cup golden boot tiebreakers: What happens if players with most goals are tied? The World Cup golden boot goes to the player with the most goals at the tournament. Should players be tied for goals scored at the end of the global showpiece, the winner is the one with the most assists. If still tied, the golden boot goes to the player with the fewest minutes played. Comment now