Messi leads Golden Boot race, tops FIFA creativity rankings ahead of World Cup final

Lionel Messi is the frontrunner for the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot and has ascended to the top of FIFA's Creativity Power Rankings. These updates came Thursday, following the conclusion of the semi-final matches.

Messi, Argentina's captain, has scored eight goals and provided four assists, placing him ahead of France's Kylian Mbappe, who also has eight goals but one fewer assist. FIFA's tiebreaker rules prioritize assists when goal tallies are equal. Mbappe has a chance to add to his tally in the third-place play-off against England, while Messi will compete in the final against Spain.

Other notable players in the Golden Boot standings include Norway's Erling Haaland with seven goals and England's Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane with six goals each. Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal is the highest-ranked finalist after Messi, sitting seventh with five goals and one assist.

In FIFA's Power Rankings, Messi's two assists in Argentina's semi-final win over England propelled him to the top of the Creativity category. He displaced France's Michael Olise, with Belgium's Jeremy Doku, Mbappe, and England's Anthony Gordon rounding out the top five. Messi is also closing the gap on Mbappe in the Attacking rankings, where Mbappe leads with a rating of 8.93, followed by Messi at 8.63 and Bellingham at 8.22.