Individual awards such as the top scorer award or the 'Golden Boot' are still given to the player who scores the most goals in the tournament.
However, in the event that two or more players have the same number of goals, a stricter system of supplementary criteria will be used to determine the winner at the 2026 World Cup .
Assists are the first factor considered when strikers have the same number of goals. The player who provides more assists for their teammates will rank higher in the race for the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot.
Therefore, although both have 6 goals so far, Kylian Mbappe is ranked above Lionel Messi due to having 2 more assists.
If both goals and assists are equal, the organizers will consider the total number of minutes played. Players with the same performance but fewer minutes played will be ranked higher in the North American league.
Candidates also have more opportunities to accumulate goals as the tournament expands to 48 teams with 104 matches for the first time.
Nevertheless, the legendary Just Fontaine's record of 13 goals for France in 1958 remains a distant milestone. The French striker needed only 6 matches to achieve a feat no other player has ever reached in World Cup history.
This year's award features three former 'Golden Boot' winners. Striker Kylian Mbappe won the title in 2022 with 8 goals, striker Harry Kane was honored in 2018 after scoring 6 goals, and James Rodriguez won the award in 2014 after scoring 6 goals for Colombia.
Mbappe and Kane continue to be highly rated ahead of the tournament, alongside striker Erling Haaland in his first appearance at the biggest football event on the planet.
Lionel Messi is also a formidable candidate thanks to his experience and ability to make a difference as the Argentina captain at the 2026 World Cup.
The race also includes strikers Mikel Oyarzabal and Lamine Yamal of Spain, Vinicius Junior of Brazil, and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal. However, history shows that the top scorer award is not exclusively for the most anticipated stars.
The late legend Toto Schillaci was once just a reserve player for the Italian national team but still won the title in 1990.
By 1994, Oleg Salenko of Russia was the joint top scorer, including scoring 5 goals against Cameroon in a single match.
Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/thay-doi-cach-xac-dinh-vua-pha-luoi-world-cup-2026-post783565.html
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