England ended their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign on a dramatic high after defeating France 6-4 in a breathtaking third-place playoff at Miami Stadium.
The Three Lions produced a ruthless first-half performance before surviving a remarkable French comeback in one of the tournament’s most entertaining matches.
Captain Declan Rice gave England the perfect start in the third minute, driving forward before firing a powerful long-range effort into the bottom corner. Ezri Konsa doubled the advantage with a towering header from Rice’s corner in the 18th minute.
Bukayo Saka then took control of the contest. The Arsenal winger converted after Marcus Rashford’s initial effort was stopped, before adding another goal shortly before halftime to complete his brace and send England into the break with an extraordinary 4-0 lead.
France, however, returned for the second half with renewed energy.
Kylian Mbappé pulled one back after combining with Michael Olise, before substitute Bradley Barcola raced forward and finished past Dean Henderson to reduce the deficit to two goals. Mbappé struck again in the 67th minute, transforming what appeared to be a comfortable England victory into a tense battle at 4-3.
With France threatening an astonishing comeback, England finally found breathing space. Saka calmly converted from the penalty spot after Djed Spence was brought down inside the area, completing a memorable hat-trick and restoring England’s two-goal advantage.
A frantic closing period produced two further goals, but England held their nerve to secure a spectacular 6-4 victory and claim the World Cup bronze medal.
The result offered Thomas Tuchel’s team some consolation following their painful semifinal defeat to Argentina. It also secured England’s best World Cup finish since winning the tournament in 1966, improving on their fourth-place finishes in 1990 and 2018.
For France, the defeat brought a disappointing conclusion to their campaign and Didier Deschamps’ final match in charge. For England, the night belonged to Saka, whose hat-trick powered the Three Lions onto the World Cup podium.
