France legend Frank Leboeuf has tipped Kylian Mbappé and Harry Kane as the absolute favourites to battle it out for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Golden Boot.
He believes that if both England and France make deep tournament runs, it will be a tight contest between the two star strikers.
Read Also:World Cup 2026: Why I Benched Neymar Against Japan –Brazil Coach
He noted that as focal points and heavy goal-scorers for their teams, both players are positioned to capitalize on tournament match-ups as the competition heats up in the knockout stages.
“The increased number of teams changes things. I don’t want to be overly harsh on nations like Curacao, Haiti, or Cape Verde, but the Golden Boot could easily be decided by someone scoring six or seven goals against those teams,” Leboeuf told BOYLE Sports.
“While I appreciate the inclusion of teams we haven’t seen before, this is an elite tournament, not a charity. FIFA’s expansion seems driven more by revenue and the increased volume of matches rather than sporting reasons. The competition will really pick up after the group stages.
“In a perfect world, matches would be tight, but realistically, we will see some lopsided scores. For the Golden Boot, the favorites have to be Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe. If England and France both go deep in the tournament, I think it will be a contest between the two of them.”
Read Also:World Cup 2026: I Am Ready To Step Up My Game Against DR Congo –Madueke
England captain Kane sits equal with several players on 3 goals whilst Mbappe has just one more. The Three Lions face the DR Congo in the next round whilst France face Sweden.
Kane and Mbappe will keep a close eye on each other this week as the tournament heads into its final stages.
