World Cup Golden Boot Award Odds: Mbappe, Messi Level Ahead of Final

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe will meet in the World Cup final, and they'll do so level in the Golden Boot race on five goals apiece. Find out how the two attackers stack up in our Golden Boot odds.

Alistair Corp - Publishing Editor at Covers.com
Alistair Corp • Publishing Editor
Dec 19, 2022 • 12:32 ET • 4 min read
Lionel Messi Argentina FIFA World Cup
Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

The 2022 FIFA World Cup final is set, and the decisive goal in Sunday's final could also be the decisive goal in the Golden Boot race.

Lionel Messi slotted home a penalty in the semifinal to draw level with Kylian Mbappe in the Golden Boot race — and after Mbappe failed to add to his tally in France's semifinal victory, it's Messi favored to win the honor in World Cup odds.

Find our full 2022 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot odds breakdown below and check out our World Cup picks page for more.

2022 World Cup Golden Boot odds

Player Odds to win Golden Boot
Argentina Lionel Messi -110
France Kylian Mbappe  +105
Spain Olivier Giroud +1,000
Argentina Julian Alvarez  +1,000

Odds courtesy of bet365 as of December 16, 2022.

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Tiebreaker scenarios

Entering the final, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe are deadlocked with five goals apiece in the tournament, which brings tiebreaker scenarios into play. There are two tiebreakers in case neither player scores or if they each score one — or if either Julian Alvarez or Olivier Giroud can match them.

The first will be total assists. Messi has tallied three while Mbappe has two, giving the Argentinian the edge should Mbappe fail to score or grab an assist. The other tiebreaker is fewest minutes played, which is where the Frenchman is far and away in the lead. Mbappe has played 477 minutes in the tournament while Messi has played 570.

2022 Golden Boot favorites

Lionel Messi (-110)

Lionel Messi made it three goals in three knockout games, and five overall, as Argentina beat Croatia 3-0 to advance to the World Cup final. With Mbappe going scoreless for a second game in succession, Messi took over as the betting favorite. 

Kylian Mbappe (+105)

Mbappe scored his second brace of the tournament in the Round of 16 win over Poland but he's been held out since, unable to score against either England or Morocco — though he has remained at the heart of France's attack.  

Olivier Giroud (+1,000)

The beloved all-time scorer for France is on four goals, last scoring the winner against England. The No. 9 does the thankless work for France's attack, pops up with stellar goals every now and then, and delivers when needed.

Julian Alvarez (+1,000)

Alvarez stole the show in Argentina's semifinal, scoring twice including a brilliant individual effort in their 3-0 win over Croatia. Alvarez's brace drew him level with Giroud, one goal behind the leaders. 

  • No player has ever won the Golden Boot more than once.
  • Since its introduction in 1982, only two players have won the Golden Ball (Tournament MVP) and Golden Boot in the same tournament.
  • Just Fontaine holds the record for most goals scored in a single World Cup with 13 in 1958.
  • The average number of goals scored at the World Cup by the Golden Boot winner is seven.

2022 World Cup Golden Boot FAQs

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Alistair Corp Publishing Editor at Covers.com
Publishing Editor

Alistair has been working as a publishing editor on the Covers content team since January 2021. In addition to his work as an editor, he helps cover the NFL, the NBA, Formula 1, and soccer. Prior to joining Covers, he worked as a freelance writer covering the NFL.

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