Third-place match goals count for Golden Boot race

After their semi-final defeats, England and France will face each other in the World Cup third-place play-off on Saturday. While the match is often seen as unimportant by teams and fans alike, this year's contest carries significant weight for at least four players, as goals scored in the third-place match count towards the Golden Boot.

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe are currently tied at the top with eight goals each, though Messi leads on assists. Erling Haaland is out of contention with seven goals, having been eliminated earlier.

England's Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham have six goals each, while France's Ousmane Dembele and Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal have five. The France-England match could therefore determine the Golden Boot winner, especially for Mbappe, who has one last chance to overtake Messi.

In World Cup history, seven Golden Boot winners scored in the third-place play-off, including four whose goals in that match secured their victory. The tie-breaking criteria are: most goals, most assists, and fewest minutes played.

With this equation, Mbappe, Dembele, Kane and Bellingham all remain in contention, while Messi awaits the outcome before the final.