England finished third at the 2026 World Cup after beating France 6-4 in a chaotic 10-goal playoff in Miami Gardens.
Bukayo Saka led England with a hat-trick, while Jude Bellingham scored deep into stoppage time to seal the win. England had built a 4-0 lead by halftime before France launched a second-half comeback.
Kylian Mbappé scored twice for France, but his goals were not enough to prevent England from taking the bronze medal. The result also gave Mbappé 22 career World Cup goals, moving him further into the tournament’s scoring history.
The match became the highest-scoring World Cup game since 1982 and set a record for the most goals in a third-place playoff.
For France, the defeat marked the end of Didier Deschamps’ 14-year spell as national team coach. Deschamps took responsibility for what he called an “unacceptable” first half, while England ended their tournament with a dramatic win after losing to Argentina in the semifinal.
