Goals scored in the World Cup third-place play-off count toward a player’s official goal tally, keeping the Golden Boot race alive for players whose nations fall short of the final.
With France and England both eliminated at the semi-final stage, Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Harry Kane, and Jude Bellingham remain active contenders for the Golden Boot at the 2026 tournament hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. All four are among seven players who have scored five or more goals heading into the tournament’s final two matches.
England and France meet in the third-place play-off on Saturday. Spain face Argentina in the final the following day.
Current Golden Boot Standings
Mbappe and Lionel Messi sit joint-top with eight goals each. Messi holds the lead on the tiebreaker, carrying one more assist than Mbappe across the tournament. Norway’s Erling Haaland sits at seven goals but cannot add to that total after his country’s quarter-final exit.
Kane and Bellingham both have six goals each for England. France winger Dembele and Spain striker Mikel Oyarzabal each have five.
How the Third-Place Match Could Decide the Award
The composition of the squads England and France field on Saturday carries direct implications for the Golden Boot outcome. When England met Belgium in the 2018 third-place play-off, Gareth Southgate rotated five players from the side beaten by Croatia in the semi-finals. Kane started that match but did not score.
Historical precedent confirms the stakes. Seven World Cup Golden Boot winners have scored in the third-place play-off, and four of those seven needed those goals to secure the award.
- Thomas Muller (Germany, 2010)
- Davor Suker (Croatia, 1998)
- Salvatore Schillaci (Italy, 1990)
- Leonidas (Brazil, 1938)
Each of those four relied on goals from that match to clinch the award. Three others, Grzegorz Lato of Poland (1974), Portugal’s Eusebio (1966), and France’s Just Fontaine (1958), also scored in the third-place play-off during their respective winning years but would have claimed the Golden Boot regardless.
Also Read: Thursday, 16 July 2026 – WC 2026 Top Scorers & Golden Boot Race
The race at the 2026 World Cup is open heading into the weekend. Follow TipsGG for full coverage of both final matches and updated Golden Boot standings.