Could the often-overlooked World Cup third-place play-off actually hold significant importance when it comes to deciding the Golden Boot winner?

The 2026 World Cup’s ‘Bronze Final’—commonly referred to as the third-place play-off—will feature Golden Boot contender Kylian Mbappe, who aims to retain his spot at the top of the scoring charts in this tournament.

France were knocked out in the semi-finals on Tuesday by a disciplined and clinical Spain side that effectively neutralised the French attack.

Mbappe has found the net 20 times across his World Cup appearances, including eight goals at the 2026 edition, placing him in prime position to claim the top scorer title. But if he scores again in the third-place match, will those goals be included in his official tally?

Although many dismiss the third-place fixture as a match that neither side particularly desires, it remains a fully recognised and sanctioned World Cup encounter.

This means that every goal scored in the bronze-medal game does indeed count towards the Golden Boot standings. After all, a goal scored during regulation play is as valid as any other—though penalties from a shootout are excluded.

Kylian Mbappe (8 goals)

Lionel Messi (8 goals)

Erling Haaland (7 goals)

Jude Bellingham (6 goals)

Harry Kane (6 goals)

Brazilian legend Leonidas was the first Golden Boot winner to score in a World Cup third-place match.

The forward, often credited with inventing the bicycle kick, netted twice as Brazil overcame Sweden 4–2 to secure third place at the 1938 World Cup.

Davor Suker remains the most recent Golden Boot winner to score in a World Cup third-place play-off, having netted Croatia’s decisive goal in their 2–1 victory over the Netherlands in 1998.

Since then, only two Golden Boot winners—Germany’s Miroslav Klose in 2006 and England’s Harry Kane in 2018—have appeared in the bronze-medal match, although neither managed to add to their goal totals during those contests.

In 2010, Diego Forlan and Thomas Muller both scored in the third-place encounter, but their goals contributed to a four-way tie at the top of the scoring charts. Muller ultimately claimed the official Golden Boot thanks to his superior assist count.