Bibhash Lodh, BS News Agency: The 2026 World Cup Golden Boot race is now in its final stages. Several footballers are in the running to win the top scorer award before the final. However, if two or more players have the same number of goals in the end, then FIFA's specific tiebreaking rules will be followed to determine the winner. Currently, France's Kylian Mbappe is leading the race for the Golden Boot. He has reached the top with 10 goals and 4 assists after scoring a brace in the third-place match. On the other hand, Argentina captain Lionel Messi has 8 goals and 4 assists. As a result, Messi will have to overcome a difficult equation to win the Golden Boot in the final. According to FIFA rules, the highest goal will be considered first. If multiple players have the same number of goals, it will be seen who has the most assists. If there is a tie in assists, then the total time played on the field will be taken into account. That is, if there are the same number of goals and assists, the footballer who has played fewer minutes will be given the Golden Boot. Because FIFA considers the player who contributes the same amount of time to be more effective.
According to this rule, if Messi reaches 10 goals in the final by scoring two goals but not providing any assists, then even if he is equal with Mbappe in goals and assists, the French star will be ahead due to playing fewer minutes. In that case, the Golden Boot will go to Mbappe. On the other hand, Messi has two realistic paths. If he scores a hat-trick in the final, he will win the Golden Boot directly with 11 goals. Or if he scores at least one assist with two goals, he can surpass Mbappe with 10 goals and 5 assists. So, along with the World Cup final, the fight for this prestigious personal award is now one of the attractions for football fans.