Mbappe makes history as first player to win World Cup Golden Boot twice
Spain claim the title in New Jersey while Unai Simon takes Golden Glove; France finish fourth after heavy defeat to England
Kylian Mbappe has become the first player in history to win the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot twice, securing the award for top scorer at the 2026 tournament. The France forward finished with 10 goals across eight games, edging out Lionel Messi, who scored eight times, to claim the honour.
Mbappe, who previously won the award at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, is now the men’s World Cup all-time top scorer with 22 goals, placing him one ahead of Messi. He became the first man to reach double figures for World Cup goals since Gerd Muller for West Germany in 1970. Only Just Fontaine, who scored 13 for France in 1958, and Hungary’s Sandor Kocsis, with 11 in 1954, have scored more individual goals in a single tournament than Mbappe’s 10.
His tally included two goals against Senegal and Iraq in the group stage, one against Sweden in the last 32, a penalty winner against Paraguay in the last 16, and one against Morocco in the quarter-finals. He added two more in the bronze medal match against England, though he could not prevent France from falling to a 6-4 defeat to finish in fourth place.
In the final held in New Jersey, Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 to claim the 2026 title. Messi, aged 39, could not find the net in the match and ended the competition with eight goals. England’s Jude Bellingham and Norway’s Erling Haaland each scored seven goals, while France’s Ousmane Dembele and England captain Harry Kane followed with six.
Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon was awarded the Golden Glove for best goalkeeper, conceding just one goal in eight matches. The Athletic Club stopper kept seven clean sheets and was selected ahead of Arsenal’s David Raya as Spain’s number one, repaying manager Luis de la Fuente’s faith with consistent performances.
