England Defeats France 6-4 to Claim World Cup Third Place

By Aurax Desk | July 19, 2026 | 2 min read

England ended its 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a 6-4 victory over France in one of the highest-scoring third-place matches in tournament history. Bukayo Saka's hat trick helped secure the bronze medal as both teams closed their tournaments after semifinal defeats.

A group of England and France players standing in a tight circle on the pitch with their arms around each other's shoulders in a display of post-match sportsmanship.

Players from both squads share a respectful huddle after one of the highest-scoring knockout matches in World Cup history.

England defeated France 6-4 on Saturday in Miami to secure third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, capping its tournament with an attacking display led by Bukayo Saka, who scored three goals. Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa gave England an early advantage before Saka completed his hat trick, while Jude Bellingham added a late goal to seal the victory. France mounted several comeback attempts through Kylian Mbappé, who scored twice, with Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé also finding the net, but England maintained its lead in a match that produced 10 goals.

The result gave England its best World Cup finish since placing fourth in 2018 and marked the country's first third-place finish since the 1990 tournament. Both teams entered the playoff after narrow semifinal defeats, with England losing 2-1 to Argentina and France falling 2-0 to Spain. Although the third-place playoff does not decide the championship, it offers teams an opportunity to finish the tournament with a victory and has historically produced open, high-scoring matches as coaches rotate lineups and players compete for individual milestones.

Saka's hat trick highlighted England's attacking performance, while Bellingham finished the tournament among the competition's leading scorers after adding his seventh goal. Mbappé's two goals kept him in contention for the tournament's Golden Boot despite France's defeat. The victory provides England with positive momentum heading into the next international cycle under manager Thomas Tuchel, while France concludes another deep World Cup run after reaching the semifinals before missing out on a place in the final.

Sources: Information compiled from ESPN, The Athletic, Fox Sports, Yahoo News, Reuters and FIFA match reporting.

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