The battle for the Adidas Golden Boot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup has become one of the tournament’s most compelling storylines, with two of football’s biggest names locked together at the summit of the scoring charts as the knockout stages gather pace.

Argentina captain Lionel Messi and France forward Kylian Mbappé each have six goals, setting up a fascinating duel for the award presented to the competition’s leading scorer. While both players are level on goals, Mbappé currently holds the advantage with two assists, compared to Messi’s none, giving the French star the edge if the tournament were to end with both players tied on goals. FIFA’s tiebreaking rules state that assists determine the winner when goals are level, with minutes played serving as the final deciding factor if assists are also equal.

Mbappé surged alongside Messi after scoring twice in France’s convincing Round of 32 victory over Sweden, continuing a remarkable World Cup career that has already established him as one of the competition’s greatest goalscorers. The 27-year-old, who won the Golden Boot at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with eight goals, is now chasing back-to-back top scorer awards while helping France pursue another world title.

Messi, meanwhile, has once again demonstrated why he remains one of the game’s defining figures. The Argentina captain has delivered another masterclass in North America, combining goals, leadership and creativity as the defending champions continue their quest to retain the trophy. Having already rewritten several World Cup records during the tournament, the 39-year-old now has the opportunity to add the Golden Boot to what is already one of football’s most decorated careers.

However, the race is far from a two-man contest.

Norway’s Erling Haaland sits just one goal behind the leaders with five goals and remains firmly in contention after guiding his country into the knockout rounds. The prolific striker needs only one strong performance to draw level with Messi and Mbappé, ensuring the Golden Boot race could shift dramatically with every knockout match.

France also have another contender in Ousmane Dembélé, whose four goals and one assist leave him within striking distance should Les Bleus make a deep run. Brazil’s Vinícius Júnior has matched Dembélé’s goal tally while adding an assist of his own, keeping the five-time champions represented in the race for the tournament’s most prestigious individual scoring award.

Current Golden Boot standings:

• Kylian Mbappé (France) – 6 goals, 2 assists
• Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 6 goals
• Erling Haaland (Norway) – 5 goals
• Ousmane Dembélé (France) – 4 goals, 1 assist
• Vinícius Júnior (Brazil) – 4 goals, 1 assist

With the tournament now entering its decisive phase, every goal carries even greater significance. Unlike the group stage, knockout football offers fewer opportunities, meaning a single explosive performance could completely reshape the standings.

The possibility of France and Argentina advancing further also raises the prospect of Mbappé and Messi extending their remarkable rivalry. Their unforgettable duel in the 2022 World Cup final captured the imagination of football fans worldwide, and four years later the pair are once again battling for one of the tournament’s biggest prizes.

History also looms over the competition. Mbappé is attempting to become the first player in more than half a century to successfully defend the World Cup Golden Boot, while Messi is chasing an award that narrowly escaped him in Qatar despite leading Argentina to the title.

As the quarter-final places continue to be decided, the race remains delicately balanced. Mbappé may hold the advantage through assists, but with Haaland lurking just one goal behind and several other elite forwards still alive in the competition, the race for the Adidas Golden Boot promises to remain one of the defining narratives of the 2026 FIFA World Cup until the very last whistle.

At a glance

• Antonio Nusa brilliantly curls Norway ahead six minutes before half-time
• Amad Diallo, who surprisingly did not start, equalises after coming off the bench
• But Erling Haaland taps home the winner for Norway four minutes from the end
• Norway will face Brazil in last 16 after winning a World Cup knockout match for the first time

Erling Haaland tapped home a dramatic late winner as Norway beat Ivory Coast to set up a last-16 showdown with Brazil at the World Cup.

The Manchester City striker had been quiet in Dallas before the 86th minute, as Antonio Nusa and Amad Diallo traded brilliant strikes in a tense game.

But Haaland was in the right place to bobble home the decisive goal from six yards following Patrick Berg’s cutback.

It means Haaland has scored in 13 successive competitive internationals for Norway, his latest goal helping his country win a World Cup knockout match for the first time.

Ivory Coast appeared to have forced extra time thanks to a superb 74th-minute strike by second-half sub Amad – surprisingly left out as manager Emerse Fae lined up his side in a more defensive 4-1-4-1 formation. It proved an error by Fae as the Ivorians struggled to create before going behind in the 39th minute.

Nusa is less heralded than strike partner Haaland, but the 21-year-old RB Leipzig winger produced a moment of sublime quality by cutting into the box from the left and curling a right-footed shot into the top corner.

After scoring the opener in their three group games, Ivory Coast were forced to chase the game – so Fae sent on Amad in the second half, and the 23-year-old showed his country what they were missing as he cut in from the right, beat two men and slotted home his second goal of the tournament.

Just minutes earlier, the Manchester United man had made a key impact at the other end of the pitch – Norway centre-back Torbjorn Heggem somehow failed to score from four yards when his volley was cleared off the line by Amad.

But in a World Cup so far defined by star strikers, Haaland was never going to be denied.

Analysis: Diallo shines, but Haaland inevitable

This was arguably the biggest match in both of these nations’ histories – Ivory Coast’s first World Cup knockout match, while Norway were at this stage for the first time in 28 years.

Both teams seemed to struggle under the pressure as neither produced their best play for long spells in Dallas.

Yan Diomande, Ivory Coast’s teenage sensation, was muscled out of the game. The best example was a body check from David Moller Wolfe in the first half when the 19-year-old winger threatened a breakaway.

Amad was far more effective when he came on, and nearly made it 2-2 in the final moments with a 25-yard free kick that Norway keeper Orlan Nyland had to palm away.

For Norway, captain Martin Odegaard was quietly effective. He provided the set-up for Nusa to strike – meaning he is only the third player on record to assist a goal in each of his first three World Cup appearances.

As for Haaland, he produced when he needed to – another first-time finish, his fifth in three World Cup games.

What’s next for Norway?

Norway progress to the last 16, where they will face Brazil after their comeback win over Japan on Monday.

That game will kick-off at 21.00hrs on Sunday, 5 July – and the winner could face England in the quarter-finals.

Player of the match

Number: 20 A. Nusa

Average rating 7.76

Number: 19 N. Pépé

Average Rating: 7.10

Number: 15 A. Diallo

Average Rating: 6.97

Number: 11 Y. Diomande

Average Rating: 6.67

Number: 17 G. Doué

Average Rating: 6.51

Number: 18 I. Sangaré

Average Rating: 6.14

Number: 1 Y. Fofana

Average Rating: 6.10

Number: 8 F. Kessie

Average Rating: 6.06

Number: 26 C. Inao Oulaï

Average Rating: 5.94

Number: 9 A. Bonny

Average Rating: 5.86

Number: 3 G. Konan

Average Rating: 5.84

Number: 12 E. Wahi

Average Rating: 5.84

Number: 7 O. Kossounou

Average Rating: 5.79

Number: 20 E. Agbadou

Average Rating: 5.78

Number: 22 E. Guessand

Average Rating: 5.52

Number: 14 O. Diakité

Average Rating: 5.49

Number: 24 B. Touré

Average Rating: 5.43

Heroic goalkeepers have repeatedly stepped up at this World Cup.

Spain could not find a way past Cape Verde number one Vozinha on his nation’s tournament debut.

Curacao keeper Eloy Room made a record-equalling 15 saves as his side also claimed their first ever World Cup point.

Iran’s Alireza Beiranvand produced a string of superb stops to keep Belgium at bay in a goalless draw.

However, there have also been several instances of international keepers being caught out in increasingly familiar fashion.

England’s Jordan Pickford and Senegal’s Edouard Mendy are just some of the household names who have managed to get their hand to the ball, only to fail to keep it out.

Algeria’s Luca Zidane has already conceded in such a manner on two separate occasions, against Argentina and Jordan.

Iraq goalkeeper Ahmed Basil was also unable to deal with Kylian Mbappe’s effort from range despite getting a touch to it, leading BBC Sport pundit and ex-England keeper Joe Hart to put forward an explanation.

“I’m seeing this goal way too many times for a World Cup for there not to be something up with that football,” he said.

Could the Trionda really make that much of a difference?

‘They build balls to score goals’

Kasper Schmeichel thinks so.

The former Denmark goalkeeper took no chances and familiarised himself with the Adidas ball long before the tournament even kicked off.

Schmeichel trained with the Trionda following its release, in October 2025, only for his side to go on to lose their play-off final against the Czech Republic.

Now retired, Schmeichel is well-placed to give an insight into what he calls the “serious difference between the balls”.

“The thing about this one is the construction of it is four panels this time,”he told the media. “There’s no stitching in it – it’s all bonded together. 

“When you mix that in with the different weathers, the air density, there’s less drag on the ball, which means it doesn’t spin as much, but it also means I find it a split second faster and I think we’re seeing that a little bit.

“There’s a couple of goals where you’re seeing keepers getting close to it – Pickford, with the first goal of the Croatia scores – and you’ve got Luca Zidane against [Lionel] Messi and even Edouard Mendy against Mbappe.

“The thing about this ball is that we want to see goals, so they build balls to score goals.”

There have certainly been plenty of goals already.

In fact, there have been twice as many from outside the box (20) than there were during the whole of the group stages in 2022. 

According to Opta, the number of errors leading to goals is also on the up.

There have been 11 so far in the United States, Canada and Mexico – more than in the group stages in any of the past seven World Cups.

Although six further games have admittedly been played up to this point, following the tournament’s expansion, it is still a significant increase.

“How many times at the top level do you see the goalkeeper touch it and it go in the goal?” Hart said.

“Very rarely because they’re good enough that once they do get contact, they get it wide. 

“I’m noticing in this tournament that goalkeepers are getting touches on it above their shoulder height and they’re just not able to keep it out, so something is up.

‘Goalkeeping is a game of margins’

Adidas spent around three and a half years developing the ball and carried out an estimated 300 lab tests.

Designers even tried it out in seven of the World Cup’s 16 host cities to ensure it performed in all manner of conditions.

Upon its release, Adidas stressed the four-panel construction – the fewest ever for a World Cup ball – was designed with “intentionally deep seams” and “strategically placed debossed lines alongside embossed country icons”.

“[It creates] a ball surface that produces optimal in-flight stability by ensuring there is sufficient and evenly distributed drag as it travels through the air,” Adidas said.

“The embossed icons also provide the added performance benefit of elevated grip on the ball when dribbling or striking the ball in wet or humid conditions.”

Some have clearly adapted more quickly than others, but Hart has highlighted how a number of goalkeepers have struggled with their timing and the ball’s trajectory when it’s not a curling effort.

Schmeichel, similarly, feels “speed is the thing with this one”.

“It doesn’t wobble as much, but the speed of how they strike it is slightly different,” the former Leicester City and Celtic goalkeeper said.

“It’s marginal, but it’s enough. Goalkeeping is a game of margins.”

• Fifa World Cup 2026: Germany and The Netherlands are eliminated after losing on penalties to Paraguay and Morocco respectively
• Germany boss Julian Naglesmann is under pressure after their early exit while former Liverpool boss Jurgen Clop played down talk he could take over 
• Paraguayans have been granted a national holiday to commemorate their win
• Former Morocco international Hassan Kachloul says Netherlands approach ‘shows the respect European teams have for Morocco’ 
• Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil came from behind to knock Japan out and reach the last 16

Cody Gakpo was denied an emotional winner as Morocco came from behind to beat the Netherlands on penalties in Monterrey to showcase their World Cup credentials and reach the last 16.

Morocco dominated much of the game but were thwarted by inspired goalkeeping from Bart Verbruggen and the woodwork before Gakpo, who had announced the loss of his unborn son on Saturday smashed home 18 minutes from time after a lightning-fast break.

But in a grandstand finish, Issa Diop thumped home a stoppage-time header, sending the game to extra time and ultimately penalties.

The Dutch missed three of their spot-kicks, which allowed Ismail Saibari to seal a 3-2 win and book a date with Canada in Houston on Saturday.

Liverpool forward Gakpo had chosen to remain with the squad despite grieving his loss, and started for the Dutch as coach Ronald Koeman switched to a back five for the first time in 32 matches.

The opening stages were intense and physical with running battles between Ismail Saibari and Jan Paul van Hecke at one end, and Brian Brobbey and Chadi Riad at the other, with the latter requiring a new shirt following one tussle with the Netherlands and Sunderland forward.

Both sides had chances, Neil El Aynaoui and Achraf Hakimi – winning his 100th cap – testing Bart Verbruggen, while Micky van de Ven went close from distance for the Netherlands.

After the break, Morocco took control with Hakimi striking the bar, but were caught by a swift Netherlands counter-attack, as Gakpo fired home and was mobbed by his team-mates.

That looked enough until the opening seconds of added time when Diop headed home a curling cross from Chemsdine Taldi.

As extra time began, Verbruggen produced one of the saves of the tournament to thwart Soufiane Rahimi after the Morocco substitute jinked his way through. 

Neither side could prevent the game being settled by spot-kicks and Teun Koopmeiners put the Netherlands ahead before El Aynaoui thumped the crossbar.

However, Justin Kluivert hit the base of the post before Rahimi’s spot-kick squirmed through the grasp of Verbruggen to make it 1-1.

Wout Weghorst found the top corner for the Dutch, followed by Talbi going the opposite side but Quinten Timber dragged a tame effort well wide.

Hakimi failed to make him pay as he smashed into the base of the same upright as Kluivert but Crysencio Summerville was then denied by a strong hand from Yassine Bounou, moving to his right before the kick was taken.

That allowed Saibari to send Verbruggen the wrong way, finding the bottom corner and breaking Dutch hearts.

Morocco underline prospects on latest big night for Africa

Four years after overcoming Spain and Portugal on their way to a World Cup semi-final defeat by France, Morocco have once again toppled a European powerhouse.

Sixth in Fifa’s world rankings, one place above the Netherlands, the Atlas Lions boast a generational crop of talent including Hakimi, Salbari and Brahim Diaz, performing at the peak of their powers. 

Meanwhile, in midfield, France-born 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi looks set to become one of the hottest properties in Europe, only weeks after switching his international allegiance from his native country.

Head coach Mohamed Ouahbi has only been in the job less than four months but his reputation continues to grow, having guided the country’s Under-20 side to World Cup glory last year.

In what is already a historic World Cup for African nations, Morocco are once again leading the way as the first team from the continent into the last 16.

They did it their way here, dominating possession, sustaining focus despite missing chances and snatching a deserved equaliser in stoppage time, before displaying equal resilience to come from behind in the shootout.

Defender Noussair Mazraoui said it was “unfair” to have two such quality teams facing off so early in the tournament, but added: “We are going to stay humble because that is why we are here. Without the fighting spirit we showed, you are not going to win any game.”

With due respect to their next opponents, co-hosts Canada, Morocco have proved their pedigree on the world stage, and will eye a potential rematch with France in the quarter-finals, should the French overcome Sweden and Paraguay.

There would arguably be no stiffer test, but it would be fascinating to see just how far Morocco have come since their 2-0 defeat by Les Bleus in the last four in Qatar.w far Morocco have come since their 2-0 defeat by Les Bleus in the last four in Qatar.