Nobody expected this. A third-place match treated as a dead rubber by most fans produced the most entertaining game of the entire 2026 World Cup as england beat france 6-4 in a 10-goal spectacular at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick, Kylian Mbappe became the all-time World Cup top scorer with his 22nd career goal, Jude Bellingham sealed it in the final seconds off the bench, and the most goals were scored in a single World Cup match since Austria beat Switzerland 7-5 in 1954.
First Half: England Blitz to 4-0
Thomas Tuchel rested Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham from the start, giving fringe players a World Cup memory. It made no difference. Declan Rice, wearing the captain’s armband, opened the scoring in the third minute with a curling strike from the top of the box that beat Mike Maignan before the French defense had settled. Ezri Konsa headed in Rice’s corner kick in the 18th minute to double the lead. Then Saka took over: he tapped in from Marcus Rashford’s unselfish pass for the third, then beat two defenders and finished from the edge of the box for a brilliant fourth. England led 4-0 at halftime against a France side that looked like it had already booked its flights home.
Second Half: Mbappe Leads a Furious Rally
What happened next will be replayed for decades. Mbappe scored in the 48th minute to pull one back, then assisted Bradley Barcola to make it 4-2. Mbappe scored again in the 66th minute, a goal that carried historic weight: it was his 22nd career World Cup goal, breaking the tie with Lionel Messi and making him the all-time leader, at least until Messi takes the field in Sunday’s final. Both Mbappe goals were assisted by Michael Olise, who finished the tournament with seven assists, the most by any player at the 2026 World Cup.
At 4-3, a France equalizer felt inevitable. The stadium in Miami was rocking with French fans who could barely believe the comeback. But Saka steadied England from the penalty spot in the 87th minute to complete his hat-trick and restore the two-goal cushion at 5-3.
Stoppage Time: Chaos to the End
Ousmane Dembele scored in the 90th plus fifth minute, assisted by Dayot Upamecano, to pull France back to 5-4 and set up a frantic final few seconds. But Bellingham, who had come off the bench, won the ball in midfield, drove forward, cut inside the last defender, and fired past Maignan in the 90th plus seventh minute to seal the 6-4 victory and send England home with the bronze medal. It was the final goal of the 2026 World Cup’s penultimate match, and it was fitting that a game of this quality ended with one more moment of individual brilliance.
Match Stats
| Stat | England | France |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 6 | 4 |
| Goals | Rice 3′, Konsa 18′, Saka 32′ 41′ 87′(pen), Bellingham 90+7′ | Mbappe 48′ 66′, Barcola 56′, Dembele 90+5′ |
| Shots | 16 | 18 |
| Possession | 45% | 55% |
Golden Boot Reshaped
Mbappe’s two goals took him to 10 for the tournament and 22 for his career, seizing the all-time World Cup scoring record from Messi (21). Saka’s hat-trick pushed him to six tournament goals. The Golden Boot now sits with Mbappe at 10 goals heading into the final, with Messi needing three goals against Spain just to tie. Bellingham finishes with seven. The full race is in our Golden Boot tracker.
What It Means
England finish third at the 2026 World Cup, their best result since winning the tournament in 1966. It is a consolation prize, nothing more, but the manner of the performance, six goals, a hat-trick hero in Saka, and Bellingham sealing it from the bench, sends Tuchel’s side home with its head held high. France finish fourth, and the questions about Deschamps’ future, which we previewed in our Deschamps analysis, intensify. The 10-goal classic will be remembered as one of the great World Cup matches regardless of placement. All attention now turns to Sunday’s final: Spain vs Argentina, 3:00 PM ET, MetLife Stadium, on FOX. Full preview in our final preview. Results at FIFA.com.
