MIAMI GARDENS, United States — Bukayo Saka scored three goals as England defeated France 6-4 to finish third at the 2026 World Cup.
England built a four-goal first-half advantage before withstanding a dramatic French recovery in Miami Gardens on Saturday, July 18, 2026.
Jude Bellingham settled the contest with the final goal in the eighth minute of stoppage time.
The result gave England its highest World Cup finish since winning the tournament in 1966.
England Establishes an Early Lead
England entered the match without several regular starters, including Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
The altered line-up made an immediate impact.
Declan Rice, captaining the team, opened the scoring after three minutes with a shot from the edge of the penalty area that beat France goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
Rice was involved again in the 18th minute, supplying the corner that Ezri Konsa headed into the net for England’s second goal.
Saka extended the lead in the 37th minute and scored again during first-half stoppage time, leaving France four goals behind at the interval.
France manager Didier Deschamps made four changes before the second half, bringing on Ousmane Dembélé, Lucas Digne, Dayot Upamecano and Bradley Barcola.
The substitutions helped France regain control of the match.
France Erases Most of the Deficit
Kylian Mbappé began the comeback three minutes after the restart, cutting inside the penalty area before scoring France’s first goal.
Barcola reduced the deficit again in the 54th minute. Mbappé then scored his second goal in the 66th, with Michael Olise providing the assist for both of the French captain’s goals.
The strike made the score 4-3 and gave Mbappé 10 goals in the tournament. It also raised his career World Cup total to 22, moving him ahead of Lionel Messi as the competition’s leading scorer.
Mbappé entered the final matchday two goals ahead of Messi in the contest for the 2026 Golden Boot.
France continued to press for an equaliser as the game became increasingly open. Dean Henderson and Maignan were both called upon to prevent further goals.
England introduced Bellingham and Elliot Anderson as it sought greater control. Bellingham nearly scored in the 80th minute, but Maignan stopped his attempt.
Saka Completes His Hat-Trick
England received an opportunity to restore its two-goal advantage when Malo Gusto fouled Djed Spence inside the penalty area.
Saka converted the penalty in the 87th minute, completing his hat-trick and putting England ahead 5-3.
France responded once more during stoppage time. Dembélé scored to bring his team within one goal and preserve its hopes of forcing an equaliser.
Those hopes ended moments later when Bellingham carried the ball forward and scored England’s sixth goal.
The 10-goal match became the highest-scoring World Cup contest since Hungary’s 10-1 victory over El Salvador in 1982.
It also established a new record for the most goals scored in a World Cup third-place match.
England’s players were presented with bronze medals during an on-field ceremony after the final whistle.
Saka Addresses England’s Tournament
Saka said England had produced “amazing results” during the competition, although the team remained hurt by its semi-final defeat to Argentina.
“In the end, we fell short against Argentina and yeah, it hurts a lot to all of us. Its the same for the fans back home but we have to hold our head high and move on and focus on the next one,” Saka told the Fox broadcast.
He also responded to criticism of England manager Thomas Tuchel following the semi-final loss.
“I think its just part of the game. When you lose, there’s always going to be noise. When you win, there’s going to be noise,” Saka said. “It’s how you react to it, how you use it as fuel, and today we finished strong.”
Argentina will face Spain in the World Cup final in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Argentina are pursuing a second consecutive championship, while Spain are seeking their first title since 2010.
