England Beat France 6-4 in Wild World Cup Third-Place Thriller as Saka Scores a Hat-Trick

England closed out the 2026 FIFA World Cup with their best finish since they lifted the trophy in 1966, beating France 6-4 in a frantic third-place match that swung one way and then the other before Jude Bellingham settled it deep into stoppage time. Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick for England, while Kylian Mbappe became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history with two goals of his own for France.

Ten goals in a single third-place match had never happened before at a World Cup, and it was the highest-scoring game at the tournament since Hungary beat El Salvador 10-1 back in 1982. Neither team arrived in Miami wanting to be there. Both had lost their semifinals in painful fashion, France outplayed by Spain and England undone by a late collapse against Argentina. What followed instead was one of the most entertaining games of the entire competition.

How the England vs France World Cup Third-Place Match Unfolded

England set the tone inside three minutes. Declan Rice picked up possession outside the box and drove a low shot past the France goalkeeper to make it 1-0. Ezri Konsa doubled the lead soon after with a header from a set piece, and from there England never looked back in the first half.

Saka added a third after a quick break down the right, cutting inside before finishing calmly. He then grabbed a second of his own right at the end of the first half, turning a 3-0 lead into a 4-0 scoreline heading into the break. France’s players trooped off at halftime to a first-half performance their own manager, Didier Deschamps, later described as catastrophic.

England manager Thomas Tuchel had started the match without Harry Kane or Bellingham in the side, while Deschamps left out Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele. Both changes looked justified for 45 minutes. Then the game turned completely on its head.

Mbappe’s Second-Half Surge and a Historic World Cup Milestone

Deschamps made four substitutions at the break, bringing on Dembele, Barcola, Dayot Upamecano and Lucas Digne in one go. The impact was almost immediate. Mbappe pulled a goal back to make it 4-1, his ninth of the tournament, which moved him ahead of Lionel Messi at the top of the race for the Golden Boot, the award given to the World Cup’s leading scorer.

Barcola then scored to make it 4-2, and suddenly a game that looked settled at halftime was very much alive again. Mbappe struck for a second time shortly after, finishing from a Michael Olise pass to make it 4-3. That goal carried extra significance beyond the scoreline. It took Mbappe to 22 career World Cup goals, one more than Messi’s previous all-time record, making him the tournament’s outright top scorer in history as well as the leading scorer at this edition with 10 goals overall.

England’s goalkeeper for the match, Dean Henderson, had kept France at bay for long spells earlier in the game, but the second-half version of France was a different proposition entirely.

Saka Completes His Hat-Trick From the Penalty Spot

With France pressing for an equaliser, Djed Spence was fouled in the penalty area by Malo Gusto. Saka stepped up and converted from the spot to make it 5-3 and complete his hat-trick, his second at senior international level for England after a treble against North Macedonia during Euro 2024 qualifying.

France responded almost immediately. Dembele, one of the half-time substitutes, scored to make it 5-4 and set up a nervy final few minutes.

Bellingham Seals the Win and a Piece of England History

The game’s tenth and final goal came from Bellingham, who had come on from the bench and drove forward on an individual run before finishing in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time to make it 6-4. It was his seventh goal of the tournament, which made him the first England player ever to score seven goals at a single World Cup.

The final whistle confirmed England’s third-place finish, their best result at a World Cup since they won the competition in 1966. It came with a bittersweet edge given how close England had come to reaching the final itself before the semi-final defeat to Argentina.

Key Turning Points and Tactical Notes

Three moments decided the shape of this match. Rice’s early strike set the tone and forced France into damage control from the third minute onward. Deschamps’ four substitutions at halftime were the second turning point, transforming a flat France side into one that scored three second-half goals and nearly forced extra time. The third came right at the death, when Bellingham’s solo effort proved England had one more answer than France did.

Tuchel’s decision to rest Kane and Bellingham for the start of the match paid off in the sense that England built an unassailable first-half lead without either player. Deschamps, in his final match in charge of France after 14 years at the helm, made the opposite calculation, holding back key attacking options until the second half. Both approaches produced goals. Only one produced the win.

What the Result Means for England and France

For England, third place caps a tournament in which they reached the final four before their exit to Argentina. It stands as the country’s best World Cup finish since the 1966 triumph and gives a young core of players, including Bellingham and Saka, tournament experience at the highest level heading into future competitions.

For France, the defeat closes the book on Deschamps’ 14-year reign as head coach, a period that included winning the World Cup in 2018 and reaching the final again in 2022. Despite the loss, Mbappe leaves the tournament as its outright top scorer and the leading goal scorer in World Cup history, a personal milestone that will outlast the disappointment of missing out on a medal. Details of the FIFA World Cup 2026 results and records are maintained on FIFA’s official tournament pages.

Argentina and Spain contested the final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the following day, bringing the tournament to a close.

Records Broken in the England vs France Third-Place Match

A few numbers from this game will stand out in World Cup history books regardless of how either team’s broader tournament is remembered:

• • Ten goals combined, the most ever scored in a World Cup third-place match.
  • The highest-scoring World Cup game overall since Hungary’s 10-1 win over El Salvador in 1982.
  • Mbappe’s 22 career World Cup goals, the new all-time record.
  • Bellingham becoming the first England player to score seven goals in a single World Cup.
  • Saka’s second career hat-trick for England, and the first scored at a World Cup.

Wild, high-scoring and packed with individual milestones, this third-place match ended up delivering more drama than either side probably expected from a game neither wanted to play.