England defeated France 6-4 in a dramatic FIFA World Cup 2026 third-place play-off on Saturday to secure the bronze medal after surviving a spirited second-half comeback from Les Bleus.
Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick as the Three Lions bounced back from their semi-final defeat to Argentina, recording their highest finish at a men’s FIFA World Cup since winning the tournament in 1966. It also marked England’s best-ever World Cup finish on foreign soil.
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England raced into a commanding 4-0 first-half lead with goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and two from Saka, putting Thomas Tuchel’s side in complete control before the break.
Rice opened the scoring in the third minute with a powerful long-range effort before providing the corner from which Konsa headed home England’s second in the 18th minute.
Saka then struck twice in the closing stages of the first half to leave France facing an uphill task.
France responded strongly after the restart in what proved to be the final match of Didier Deschamps’ 14-year reign as head coach.
Captain Kylian Mbappe pulled one back before Bradley Barcola reduced the deficit further, making it 4-2 before the hour mark.
Mbappe struck again in the 67th minute, taking his tournament tally to nine goals and moving ahead of Argentina captain Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot. The France forward also became the highest-scoring player in FIFA World Cup history with 22 goals.
With France threatening a remarkable comeback, England restored their two-goal advantage when Saka converted a penalty in the 87th minute after Djed Spence was fouled by Malo Gusto, completing his hat-trick.
Ousmane Dembele scored deep into stoppage time to make it 5-4, but England responded immediately as Jude Bellingham produced a superb solo run, weaving past several defenders before calmly finishing in the 98th minute to seal a memorable victory.
Bellingham ended the tournament with seven goals, the highest tally ever recorded by an England men’s player at a single FIFA World Cup.
The 10-goal contest also entered the record books as the highest-scoring World Cup third-place play-off in history, surpassing France’s 6-3 victory over West Germany in 1958.
The result ended England’s disappointing record in World Cup third-place matches, having previously lost to Italy in 1990 and Belgium in 2018, while France missed the opportunity to add another bronze medal to their World Cup honours.
