Lionel Messi has emerged as the leading contender for the adidas Golden Boot and climbed to the top of FIFA’s Creativity Power Rankings ahead of Sunday’s 2026 World Cup final against Spain.
FIFA released the updated rankings and Golden Boot standings on Thursday following the conclusion of the semi-finals.
The Argentina captain leads the Golden Boot race with eight goals and four assists, edging France’s Kylian Mbappe, who also has eight goals but only three assists.
Under FIFA’s rules, assists serve as the first tiebreaker when players finish level on goals.
Mbappe will have one final opportunity to improve his tally in Saturday’s third-place play-off against England, and Messi against Spain.
Norway’s Erling Haaland is third in the Golden Boot standings with seven goals despite his team’s quarter-final exit, while England’s Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane share fourth place 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 moved five places to the top of the Creativity category after providing two assists in Argentina’s 2-1 semi-final victory over England.
He displaced France’s Michael Olise, while Belgium’s Jeremy Doku, Mbappe and England’s Anthony Gordon completed the top five.
Messi also closed the gap on Mbappe in the Attacking rankings, where the France forward leads with a rating of 8.93, ahead of the Argentine captain on 8.63 and England’s Bellingham on 8.22.
adidas Golden Boot standings
| Rank | Player | Country | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 8 | 4 |
| 2 | Kylian Mbappe | France | 8 | 3 |
| 3 | Erling Haaland | Norway | 7 | 0 |
| 4 | Jude Bellingham | England | 6 | 1 |
| 5 | Harry Kane | England | 6 | 1 |
| 6 | Ousmane Dembele | France | 5 | 2 |
| 7 | Mikel Oyarzabal | Spain | 5 | 1 |
| 8 | Ismaila Sarr | Senegal | 4 | 1 |
| 9 | Julian Quiñones | Mexico | 4 | 1 |
| 10 | Vinicius Junior | Brazil | 4 | 1 |
| 11 | Deniz Undav | Germany | 3 | 2 |
| 12 | Johan Manzambi | Switzerland | 3 | 2 |
| 13 | Romelu Lukaku | Belgium | 3 | 1 |
| 14 | Lautaro Martinez | Argentina | 3 | 1 |
| 15 | Charles De Ketelaere | Belgium | 3 | 1 |
| 16 | Cody Gakpo | Netherlands | 3 | 1 |
| 17 | Brian Brobbey | Netherlands | 3 | 0 |
| 18 | Elijah Just | New Zealand | 3 | 0 |
| 19 | Matheus Cunha | Brazil | 3 | 0 |
| 20 | Folarin Balogun | United States | 3 | 0 |
FIFA Power Rankings – Attacking
| Rank | Player | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kylian Mbappe | 8.93 |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | 8.63 |
| 3 | Jude Bellingham | 8.22 |
| 4 | Erling Haaland | 7.74 |
| 5 | Charles De Ketelaere | 7.31 |
| 6 | Ousmane Dembele | 7.21 |
| 7 | Vinicius Junior | 7.17 |
| 8 | Johan Manzambi | 7.11 |
| 9 | Julian Quiñones | 7.05 |
| 10 | Harry Kane | 6.92 |
FIFA Power Rankings – Creativity
| Rank | Player | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel Messi | 8.41 |
| 2 | Michael Olise | 8.23 |
| 3 | Jeremy Doku | 7.78 |
| 4 | Kylian Mbappe | 7.71 |
| 5 | Anthony Gordon | 7.67 |
| 6 | Lamine Yamal | 7.47 |
| 7 | Roberto Alvarado | 7.33 |
| 8 | Dani Olmo | 7.31 |
| 9 | Bukayo Saka | 7.29 |
| 10 | Morgan Rogers | 7.13 |
FIFA Power Rankings – Defending
| Rank | Player | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rodri | 8.03 |
| 2 | Pedro Porro | 7.70 |
| 3 | Pau Cubarsi | 7.50 |
| 4 | Aurelien Tchouameni | 7.36 |
| 5 | Cristian Romero | 7.34 |
| 6 | Luc de Fougerolles | 7.33 |
| 7 | Dayot Upamecano | 7.29 |
| 8 | Aymeric Laporte | 7.29 |
| 9 | Davinson Sanchez | 7.14 |
| 10 | Chris Richards | 7.00 |
Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa retained top spot in the “Defending the Goal” category, while England’s Jordan Pickford continued to lead the “In Possession” rankings ahead of Spain’s Unai Simón.
