Kylian Mbappe scored his eighth goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on July 9. It gave France a second-half lead in their quarterfinal against Morocco and tied him with Argentina's Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.
Mbappe won the Golden Boot in 2022 with eight goals. Norway's Erling Haaland sits one goal behind the leaders with seven. England's Harry Kane has six.
Mbappe missed a penalty earlier in the match against Morocco before scoring his goal. The France-Morocco game was a rematch of their 2022 World Cup semifinal, which France won.
Mbappe now has 19 career World Cup goals. Messi leads with 20. The next goal from the French forward would tie that all-time record.
The tournament is driving significant volume on blockchain prediction platforms like Polymarket and Azuro. The clear outcome of the Golden Boot race makes it a compelling use case for crypto-based betting markets. Traditional sportsbooks are also integrating crypto payment systems.