England ended their World Cup 2026 campaign with a dramatic third-place finish after beating France 6-4 in a ten-goal thriller at Miami Stadium, also known as Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami Gardens.
The third-place playoff delivered one of the wildest matches of the tournament, with Bukayo Saka scoring a hat-trick, Kylian Mbappé netting twice for France, and Jude Bellingham sealing the result deep into stoppage time. England Football listed the final score as France 4-6 England, with all scorers and goal times confirmed in its match centre.
ENGLAND RACE INTO FOUR-GOAL LEAD
England made a flying start, with Declan Rice opening the scoring in the 3rd minute after seizing on a loose French pass and driving forward before finishing low into the corner.
Ezri Konsa doubled the lead in the 18th minute, rising to meet Rice’s corner and flicking his header past Mike Maignan to put England firmly in control.
Bukayo Saka then took over. The Arsenal winger scored England’s third in the 37th minute, finishing after a fast attacking move involving Marcus Rashford, before adding his second in first-half stoppage time, converting from Eberechi Eze’s pass to send England into the break 4-0 up.
FRANCE FIGHT BACK AFTER HALF-TIME
France responded strongly after the restart, with Didier Deschamps making four changes at half-time, including the introductions of Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola.
Kylian Mbappé pulled one back in the 48th minute after being set up by Michael Olise, before Barcola made it 4-2 in the 54th minute. The momentum then shifted further when Mbappé scored again in the 66th minute, cutting England’s lead to 4-3 and putting France within touching distance of a remarkable comeback.
Mbappé’s second goal also moved him clear of Lionel Messi as the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer, according to England Football’s match report.
SAKA COMPLETES HAT-TRICK BEFORE LATE DRAMA
With France pushing for an equaliser, England restored their cushion in the 87th minute when Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot after Djed Spence was fouled by Malo Gusto.
France refused to give up, and Dembélé scored in the 90+6th minute to make it 5-4 and set up a tense finish.
But England had the final word. Jude Bellingham, who came on in the 79th minute, scored in the 90+8th minute with a brilliant solo goal to make it 6-4 and finally put the result beyond France.
ENGLAND END TOURNAMENT WITH BRONZE
The win gave England their best men’s World Cup finish since 1966 and their best finish on foreign soil. England Football described the match as an “exhilarating bronze medal match,” with Saka’s hat-trick helping Thomas Tuchel’s side end the tournament on a high.
For France, the result ended a dramatic tournament with another attacking display, but their second-half comeback was not enough to deny England third place.
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