England take bronze in a ten-goal thriller (4-6): Saka hat-trick and Mbappé brace
England are third at the 2026 World Cup after beating France (4-6) in a goal fest at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium. Tuchel's side raced to 4-0 by half-time with a Declan Rice strike (3'), an Ezri Konsa header (18') and two from Bukayo Saka (37' and 45+1'), but France clawed almost all of it back after the break through a Kylian Mbappé brace (48' and 66') and Bradley Barcola's goal (54') for 4-3. Saka completed his hat-trick from the spot (87') and, in stoppage time, Ousmane Dembélé (90+6') and Jude Bellingham (90+8') set the final 4-6. Mbappé, with two goals and an assist, was the match's top-rated player (10) and moves clear at the top of the Golden Boot on ten goals, two ahead of Messi, who can still catch him in the final. England take third place; France finish fourth.
The third-place play-off is usually sold as a formality, but nobody told England and France. At Miami's Hard Rock Stadium, the two sides who fell at the final hurdle served up a ten-goal spectacle that England won 4-6 to take the 2026 World Cup bronze. A festive release for two teams who days earlier were mourning their elimination.
Thomas Tuchel, free of knockout pressure, handed minutes to his squad players and fresh legs: Dean Henderson in goal, Ivan Toney at number nine and Marcus Rashford, Eberechi Eze and Morgan Rogers around Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice. Didier Deschamps rotated similarly in a France side with Maignan in goal, Théo Hernández, Rayan Cherki and Désiré Doué starting, and Kylian Mbappé as the one recognisable name in the attack. With nothing to lose, both went for it.
And it was England who started at full speed. On 3 minutes, Declan Rice opened the scoring with a left-footed drive; on 18, Ezri Konsa headed in a Rice corner for 2-0. The bleeding did not stop: Saka made it 3-0 on 37' after a Rashford assist and, in first-half stoppage time (45+1'), completed his brace from an Eze pass. A crushing 4-0 at the break that seemed to seal the bronze.
But France came out transformed. On 48', Mbappé pulled one back finishing a Michael Olise cross; on 54', Mbappé himself teed up Bradley Barcola for 4-2; and on 66', again with Olise's assist, Mbappé completed his brace and the 4-3 that brought Les Bleus right back into it. In barely twenty minutes, a rout had become an open finish.
The game went wild. With France pouring forward for the equaliser, England found breathing room on 87' from the spot: Saka made no mistake with the penalty, completed his hat-trick and restored the two-goal cushion (5-3). There was still time for more madness in stoppage time: Ousmane Dembélé pulled one back on 90+6' (5-4), finishing a Dayot Upamecano assist, and Jude Bellingham closed the scoring on 90+8' for the final 4-6. Nineteen shots each and almost three expected goals apiece sum up a relentless match.
The man of the match, despite the defeat, was Kylian Mbappé (10 rating): two goals and an assist that also carry a reward in the individual race. The France forward reaches ten goals in the tournament and moves clear at the top of the Golden Boot, two ahead of Lionel Messi (8), who can still reel him in during the final. Saka, with his treble, was the standout of England's bronze.
England thus take third place, some consolation for a generation still unable to clear the semi-final barrier since 1966. France, runners-up in Qatar 2022, finish fourth and close out an uneven World Cup. Attention now shifts to New York: on 19 July, at the MetLife Stadium, Spain and Argentina fight for the title in the 2026 World Cup grand final.