Mbappe and Messi tied on 8 goals as Bellingham's double sends England into World Cup semi-finals

Quarter-final scoring shifts

The World Cup quarter-finals reshuffled the Golden Boot standings. Kylian Mbappe found the net in France's 2-0 victory over Morocco, his eighth goal of the tournament, moving him alongside Lionel Messi at the top of the chart. The French captain added an assist in the same match, giving him three assists overall, one more than his Argentine rival. Messi, who had scored in each of Argentina's previous five matches against Algeria (3), Austria (2), Jordan (1), Cape Verde (1) and Egypt (1), failed to register a goal or assist in the 3-1 extra-time win over Switzerland. It was the first match of this World Cup in which the Barcelona legend did not hit the back of the net.

Bellingham's controversial brace

Jude Bellingham delivered the performance of the round, scoring both goals in England's 2-1 extra-time win over Norway. The Real Madrid midfielder equalised late in the first half after Andreas Schjelderup had given Norway the lead, though the goal arrived amid significant controversy over the referee's decision to allow it. Bellingham then struck again from close range in extra time to seal England's passage. His two-goal display lifted him to six goals for the tournament, level with teammate Harry Kane in joint fourth place.

Bellingham fired home from short distance to register the match-winning 2-1 strike.

Haaland frozen out

Erling Haaland, who entered the quarter-finals on seven goals, was unable to add to his tally as Norway exited the competition. The Norwegian striker was kept quiet throughout the 120 minutes and will not have another chance to improve his record at this tournament. He ends the World Cup in third place outright, one goal behind the two leaders and one ahead of the English pair. His departure means the Golden Boot race is now a contest between players whose teams remain alive in the competition.

Semi-final pairings set

Four matches remain in the 2026 tournament. England will face Argentina in one semi-final, while France meet Spain in the other. Spain are the only semi-finalist without a player in the top tier of the scoring chart; Mikel Oyarzabal, with four goals, is their leading marksman. France and Argentina have the clearest paths to boosting their captains' tallies, with Mbappe and Messi each chasing the Golden Boot in the final two rounds.

If anyone might not fear France, it's Spain.

The chasing pack

Further down the leaderboard, Ousmane Dembele sits alone on five goals following France's quarter-final. Mikel Oyarzabal, Julian Quinones, Ismaila Sarr and Vinicius Junior are among a group on four goals. Players on three include Kai Havertz, Cody Gakpo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku and Jonathan David. With semi-finals and the final still to play, the Golden Boot remains open for players still in the competition to make a late surge.