Overview
- Mbappé, who scored twice and provided an assist in France’s 6–4 third‑place loss to England on Saturday, finished the tournament with 10 goals to claim the 2026 Golden Boot.
- Those two goals pushed his career World Cup total to 22, moving him past Lionel Messi on the men’s all‑time scoring list.
- Messi ended the tournament with eight goals after Argentina lost 1–0 to Spain in the final on Sunday, leaving him unable to overtake Mbappé.
- The Golden Boot is decided first by goals, then assists and then fewest minutes played, and officials count statistics from the third‑place match as official, a factor that proved decisive this year.
- Coverage also noted a sharp drop in visible cryptocurrency sponsorship and fan‑token activity at the 2026 tournament, reflecting the 2022–23 crypto market collapse and tighter regulatory scrutiny.