England’s World Cup campaign will conclude this evening when they play France in the third-place play-off match in Miami.
Despite the heartbreak and disappointment of not playing in tomorrow’s final instead, there is still the opportunity for the Three Lions to claim their best result at a World Cup since winning it in 1966.
And there’s even more to play for, given that goals scored in the match will indeed count towards the overall Golden Boot standings.
This is good news for the likes of Kylian Mbappe (8 goals), Jude Bellingham (6), Harry Kane (6) and Ousmane Dembele (5), all of whom still have a chance of winning the Golden Boot.
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Lionel Messi currently tops the standings with eight goals, ahead of Mbappe, owing to the fact the Argentine has one more assist than the Frenchman.
Should two or more players finish level on the same number of goals and assists, the one who has played the fewest minutes at the World Cup will win the award.
Mbappe won the Golden Boot at the last World Cup in Qatar, while Kane finished top of the goalscoring charts in 2018. Should either of them win it this year, it would be the first time a player has won multiple Golden Boots in the history of the competition.
Messi, meanwhile, has never won it, although he was awarded the Golden Ball accolade in Qatar for being judged to be the best player.
Spain star Mikel Oyarzabal, with five goals to his name, could theoretically still win the Golden Boot but would need to score four goals in Sunday’s final to stand any chance of finishing first.
World Cup 2026 Golden Boot standings
Lionel Messi: 8
Kylian Mbappe: 8
Erling Haaland: 7
Jude Bellingham: 6
Harry Kane: 6
Ousmane Dembele: 5
Mikel Oyarzabal: 5
Seven previous Golden Boot winners have scored in the World Cup third-place play-off, with four of those players requiring the goals they scored in that match to clinch the individual accolade.
Germany’s Thomas Muller (2010), Croatia’s Davor Suker (1998), Italy’s Salvatore Schillaci (1990) and Brazil’s Leonidas (1938) all scored goals in the game which led to them winning the Golden Boot.
The play-off, which is widely regarded as one of the most depressing games in football, has been a permanent part of the World Cup since 1954.