England beats France 6-4 to claim third place in 2026 World Cup

England secured third place with a 6-4 victory over France in a record-breaking 10-goal thriller at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The match, which many players approached reluctantly after semifinal defeats, turned into a historic spectacle.

First-half dominance

England raced to a 4-0 halftime lead, with Declan Rice opening the scoring in the 3rd minute and Ezri Konsa adding a header from a corner. Bukayo Saka struck twice before the break, capitalizing on France’s defensive disarray Source: elcaribedr. Kylian Mbappé, the tournament’s top scorer, was largely invisible in the first half.

French resurgence falls short

Didier Deschamps made four changes at halftime, and France responded. Mbappé scored twice (48th and 66th minutes), becoming the all-time top scorer in World Cup history with 22 goals, surpassing Lionel Messi. Bradley Barcola also found the net, cutting the deficit to 3-4 Source: lavanguardia. However, Saka completed his hat-trick from a penalty in the 87th minute, and Jude Bellingham added a sixth in stoppage time. Ousmane Dembélé scored a late consolation for France Source: hoydo.

Records and farewell

The match set a record for most goals in a World Cup match since 1982, with 10 total. Mbappé’s double also gave him the Golden Boot lead with 10 goals. Bellingham finished with 7 goals, breaking James Rodríguez’s record for a midfielder in a single tournament Source: infobae. Deschamps ended his 14-year tenure as France coach with a defeat, though his career included a World Cup title and three finals Source: clarin.