England secured third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating France 6-4 in an extraordinary bronze-medal match in Miami. Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick as Thomas Tuchel’s side survived a dramatic French comeback to record England’s best World Cup finish since winning the tournament in 1966.
England produce a devastating first half
England entered the match seeking a positive conclusion after their 2-1 semi-final defeat against Argentina. France, eliminated by Spain in the other semi-final, struggled from the opening stages and appeared unable to match England’s intensity.
Declan Rice opened the scoring before Ezri Konsa doubled England’s advantage. Saka then struck twice to give England a remarkable 4-0 lead at half-time. France’s defence looked disorganised, while England repeatedly exploited the spaces behind their opponents with quick transitions and direct attacking football.
The four-goal advantage appeared to have settled the contest, but France returned after the interval with greater urgency following defensive changes by outgoing manager Didier Deschamps.
France launch an extraordinary comeback
Kylian Mbappé led the French response, scoring twice during a frantic second half. Bradley Barcola also found the net as France reduced England’s commanding advantage and transformed what had appeared to be a one-sided match into a tense contest.
Mbappé’s two goals took him to ten for the tournament and 22 across his World Cup career, moving him ahead of Lionel Messi in the competition’s all-time scoring standings before Argentina’s final against Spain.
England were forced to defend under sustained pressure as France attacked with increasing confidence. The momentum had shifted almost completely, but Tuchel’s players retained enough composure to create further opportunities of their own.
Saka completes his hat-trick
Saka restored England’s breathing space from the penalty spot in the 87th minute, completing his hat-trick and delivering one of the finest individual performances of the tournament.
France refused to surrender. Ousmane Dembélé scored their fourth goal six minutes into stoppage time, briefly creating another possibility of an improbable comeback. Jude Bellingham then settled the contest by scoring England’s sixth goal in the closing moments.
Bellingham finished the tournament with seven goals, establishing a new record for an England player at a single World Cup. Michael Olise also completed the competition with seven assists, surpassing Pelé’s previous tournament record of six from 1970.
A historic bronze medal for England
The 6-4 result made the match the highest-scoring third-place play-off in World Cup history and the tournament’s highest-scoring match since 1982. It also gave England their first World Cup bronze medal after previous defeats in the third-place matches of 1990 and 2018.
For France, the defeat marked the end of Deschamps’ 14-year tenure as national coach. For England, the victory offered both consolation and evidence that a talented generation remains capable of challenging for major honours.
The bronze medal cannot completely erase the disappointment of missing the final, but England leave North America with their strongest World Cup performance in 60 years and a spectacular final match that will be remembered far beyond the tournament.
Newshub Editorial in North America – 19 July 2026
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