England beats France 6-4 as Saka hat-trick secures World Cup third place

England secured third place in the 2026 World Cup on Saturday, 18 July 2026, defeating France 6-4 in a high-scoring encounter at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. The victory, which required England to withstand a frantic second-half rally, grants the team their best tournament finish since winning the world title in 1966.

The match, attended by a sellout crowd of 64,478, was initially dominated by England. Declan Rice opened the scoring in the third minute with a strike from outside the 18-yard box. Ezri Konsa added a second with a header from a corner in the 18th minute. Bukayo Saka further extended the lead with two goals before halftime, putting England ahead 4-0.

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Following the break, France staged a significant recovery. Kylian Mbappé scored in the 48th minute, and Bradley Barcola found the net shortly thereafter. Mbappé added his second goal in the 66th minute, surpassing the career World Cup scoring tally of Lionel Messi. With this performance, the 27-year-old brought his tournament total to 10 goals, placing him in the lead for the Golden Boot award.

As France pressed for an equalizer, the intensity of the match increased. England regained a two-goal cushion in the 87th minute when Saka converted a penalty to complete his hat-trick. Although Ousmane Dembélé responded with a goal during stoppage time to bring France within a single point, Jude Bellingham scored in the eighth minute of added time to confirm the result.

The total of 10 goals set a record for the highest-scoring third-place playoff in tournament history, with various reports noting it was the most prolific World Cup match since 1982. This match marked the final appearance for France coach Didier Deschamps, who concludes a 14-year tenure with the team.

Reflecting on the result, England coach Thomas Tuchel addressed the emotional difficulty of playing for a bronze medal after the team’s semifinal exit. "I hope that the players can be proud of that in some time," Tuchel stated, according to reporting from Euronews. He noted that the team had aimed for the final and described the result as a painful but necessary step in the squad's development.

Tournament Milestones and Records

• Most goals in a third-place match: 10.
• Kylian Mbappé: Became the all-time leading World Cup scorer with 22 goals and leads the 2026 Golden Boot race with 10 goals.
• Jude Bellingham: Scored seven goals in the tournament, the most by an England player in a single World Cup.
• England's record: Best tournament finish since 1966.

The buildup to the match was marked by tactical adjustments from both benches. Tuchel opted to start a lineup that saw captain Harry Kane and midfielder Jude Bellingham on the bench, while France proceeded without William Saliba, who remained out due to injury.

While England departs with the bronze medal, France ends its campaign in fourth place. The focus of the football world now shifts to the final, where defending champion Argentina faces Spain. The match is scheduled to determine the ultimate winner of the 2026 tournament, with Lionel Messi expected to take the field one final time to challenge for the tournament's top scoring honors.

For England, the victory concludes a month of competition that saw the team grapple with both the disappointment of their semifinal loss and the pressure of public expectations. Tuchel, who confirmed he intends to remain in charge for upcoming international cycles, faces the task of utilizing this result to bridge the gap between his squad and the tournament's top two finishers.