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World Cup Golden Boot race: Messi seeks to extend goal tally against Salah’s Egypt
07th July, 2026 06:18 PM
As Argentina and Egypt face off in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, Argentina captain Lionel Messi will be out seeking to add to his goal tally against Mo Salah’s Pharaohs, as the World Cup Golden Boot race intensifies.
However, France striker Kylian Mbappe has reclaimed the lead in the race for the adidas Golden Boot after taking his tally to seven goals during his side’s Round of 16 victory over Paraguay.
Mbappe now sits at the top of the scoring chart ahead of Messi. Although both players have scored seven goals, the French forward holds the advantage thanks to his two assists, which serve as the first tiebreaker in the Golden Boot rankings.
Norway’s Erling Haaland has also reached seven goals following his two-goal performance against Brazil, keeping him firmly in contention for the tournament’s top scorer award. England skipper Harry Kane remains close behind with six goals after finding the net against Mexico in the Round of 16.
Several other players are still within striking distance as the tournament heads into the quarter-finals.
How the adidas Golden Boot is decided
The adidas Golden Boot is presented to the highest-scoring player at the FIFA World Cup.
If two or more players finish level on goals, the winner is determined by the number of assists, as assessed by FIFA’s Technical Study Group. Should players still be tied after goals and assists, the award goes to the player who achieved those numbers while playing the fewest minutes during the tournament.
Argentina’s tough outing
As Messi looks to extend his lead in the Golden Boot race of the World Cup 2026, it promises to be a fierce battle between Argentina and Egypt on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan has called on his players to approach their FIFA World Cup Round of 16 encounter against Argentina with confidence, insisting they should not be intimidated by the reigning world champions.
The North Africans have already made history by reaching this stage of the tournament for the first time in the modern World Cup format, and they now face what is widely regarded as their toughest challenge yet against Lionel Messi and his teammates in Atlanta.
While acknowledging that many football followers expect Argentina to progress, Hassan believes his side can produce an upset if they remain focused on their own strengths instead of dwelling on the reputation of their opponents.
“If we ran a poll right now about who will win tomorrow, we all know the majority would favour them because we’re facing one of the game’s giants in Argentina,” said Hassan. “But in the Egypt camp, we have a different conviction and we’d answer that poll differently. Tomorrow’s match won’t be easy for us but it won’t be easy for them either. We have enormous respect for Argentina but we have a goal and we intend to achieve it,” he said.
