Lionel Messi Retakes Golden Boot Lead in FIFA World Cup 2026

Kathmandu. After Argentina took a dramatic 2-1 victory against England in the second semi-final of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Thursday, Lionel Messi has returned to the top of the 'Golden Boot' race. Although he did not score a personal goal in the semi-final match, he created opportunities (assists) for two important goals.

Previously, Kylian Mbappé of France and Messi were tied with 8-8 goals each. However, according to FIFA's first tie-breaker rule, which prioritizes the player with more assists in case of a tie in goals, Messi has moved to first place with 4 assists, while Mbappé, with 3 assists, has fallen to second place.