England secure third place at World Cup in historic 10-goal thriller against France
The result marks England’s best tournament finish since 1966, while Mbappé overtakes Messi as all-time leading scorer in a match that stands as the highest-scoring fixture in 44 years.
England have secured third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a dramatic 6-4 victory over France in the third-place playoff held in Miami on Saturday. The contest, described as one of the highest-scoring games in World Cup history, saw the English side establish a commanding lead before withstanding a significant second-half comeback from their French counterparts.
Thomas Tuchel’s England opened the scoring through Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa, with Bukayo Saka adding two more goals to secure a 4-0 halftime advantage. Saka’s hat-trick was instrumental in helping the Three Lions achieve their best tournament finish since their 1966 triumph. The match marked a stark contrast in fortunes, as England had previously lost 2-1 to Argentina in the semi-final held in Atlanta.
France mounted a spirited recovery in the second half, narrowing the deficit to 4-5 through goals from Kylian Mbappé, Bradley Barcola, and Ousmane Dembélé. However, Jude Bellingham scored the decisive goal in the 90+8th minute to secure the victory for England. The 10-goal contest stands as the highest-scoring fixture in the tournament’s history in 44 years.
For France, the match served as the final game for manager Didier Deschamps. Despite the defeat, Kylian Mbappé scored twice, bringing his career World Cup tally to 22 goals. This performance allowed him to overtake Lionel Messi, who had finished the tournament with 17 goals after scoring twice in the semi-final, as the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history.
The World Cup final is scheduled to take place on Sunday, 19 July 2026, in New York. The 2026 tournament is being hosted across North America, with previous matches also held in Atlanta and Miami.
