Lionel Messi has claimed the MLS Golden Boot for a second consecutive year. The Inter Miami forward finished the 2026 regular season as Major League Soccer’s leading scorer, netting 26 goals in 31 matches.
Messi Sets Back-to-Back Golden Boot Record
Before Messi, no player in MLS history had collected the Golden Boot in successive seasons. He now stands alone as the first to manage it. Five other players have taken the prize more than once — Preki, Taylor Twellman, Jeff Cunningham, Bradley Wright-Phillips and Chris Wondolowski — yet none of them followed one win with another the next year.
Messi stayed ahead in the scoring race through much of the campaign. He ended four goals in front of Petar Musa of FC Dallas, who finished second on 22, while Sam Surridge of Nashville took third place with 21.
The figures behind the award underline how strong his season was. Messi averaged 0.84 goals per game and contributed to 43 goals in total. He also scored twice or more in six matches. Just one of his 26 goals came from the penalty spot, leaving 25 from open play — the second-highest single-season tally in league history, behind only the 28 he managed last season.
Last season Messi scored 29 goals in 28 games. He played more matches this time and scored fewer goals, but he still finished well clear at the top.
Why does this award matter? The Golden Boot goes to the regular season’s top scorer. It offers the simplest way to judge a striker’s season: goals, counted one by one. Winning it once is hard. Winning it in two straight years, at the age of 39, is something nobody had achieved in 30 years of MLS.
Messi stepped away from international football earlier this year, after 21 years with Argentina. He then agreed a new contract keeping him at Inter Miami through 2028. The Golden Boot shows he remains the league’s best scorer, even as he gets older and plays fewer minutes in some games.
One more honour could follow. Messi is the favourite to win the MVP award, the league’s top individual prize. Victory there would give him a third in a row.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel Messi | Inter Miami | 26 |
| 2 | Petar Musa | FC Dallas | 22 |
| 3 | Sam Surridge | Nashville | 21 |
| 4 | Brian White | Vancouver | 20 |
| 5 | Milan Iloski | Philadelphia | 19 |
| Measure | Total |
|---|---|
| Goals | 26 |
| Matches | 31 |
| Goals per game | 0.84 |
| Goal contributions | 43 |
| Multi-goal games | 6 |
| Penalty goals | 1 |
| Non-penalty goals | 25 |
Miami Draws 3-3 With Charlotte on Decision Day
Messi did not score on the final day, but he still shaped the game. Inter Miami drew 3-3 with Charlotte at Nu Stadium in Miami, in a match that settled the final order in the Eastern Conference.
He created Miami’s opening two goals, both from corners. In the 14th minute his delivery reached Charlotte’s Luca de la Torre, whose touch looped the ball up for Ian Fray to open the scoring. In the 33rd minute another Messi corner picked out Luis Suarez, unmarked at the near post, and the Uruguayan headed in to make it 2-0. Rodrigo De Paul added a third before half-time.
Charlotte hit back after the break. Liel Abada scored twice, with his second arriving in the 55th minute, and Rodolfo Aloko levelled the game in the 90th minute after a shot from Smalls came back off the post. Messi struck the post in stoppage time, and Aloko came close to winning it with a fierce effort into the outside netting.
The draw still delivered what Miami needed. The club ended second in the East on 60 points, earning home advantage for the first two rounds of the playoffs. Third-placed New England could not take advantage of the draw, losing 1-0 at Orlando to finish on 58 points.
Nashville Breaks MLS Points Record
Nashville were the big winners on the final day. The overall league leaders beat Cincinnati 2-0 and closed the season on 77 points — a new MLS record for a single season.
Their record of 23 wins, three defeats and eight draws moved past the mark of 74 points set by Miami in 2024. Nashville won the East and will meet the winner of the wild-card match between Orlando and Cincinnati in the playoffs.
Playoffs Next: Miami Face Columbus
Messi’s side will meet Columbus to begin the MLS playoffs, which start on November 19. Columbus finished seventh after a 4-3 win at Chicago, a result that kept them out of the wild-card round.
The other Eastern Conference ties send New England against Philadelphia and Charlotte against Chicago. In the West, champions Vancouver beat Montreal 2-0 and finished second overall. They will face the winner of the Seattle-Salt Lake wild-card match. Dallas play Portland, LAFC play St. Louis and Houston play San Jose.
Portland, Real Salt Lake and Seattle all secured their playoff places on the final day. Portland won 2-0 at Austin, Real Salt Lake beat the LA Galaxy 2-1 and Seattle beat LAFC 2-1. Colorado lost at Dallas and missed out, while Minnesota beat San Jose 3-1 but still fell a point short.
Lionel Messi of Inter Miami, with 26 goals in 31 matches. He is the first player to win the award in back-to-back seasons.
26 goals in 31 games, four more than second-placed Petar Musa of FC Dallas, who scored 22.
Miami face Columbus in the first round of the playoffs, which begin on November 19. Miami finished second in the Eastern Conference, so they have home advantage for the first two rounds.
