England defeated France 6-4 on Saturday night at Miami Stadium to secure third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in a thrilling encounter.
The Three Lions looked to be cruising to victory after racing into a four-goal lead before halftime, but France mounted a spirited second-half comeback that threatened to turn the match on its head.
Thomas Tuchel’s side took the lead in the third minute through Declan Rice before Ezri Konsa doubled the advantage in the 18th minute. Bukayo Saka then struck twice in the 37th and 45th minutes to give England a commanding 4-0 lead at the break.
France responded strongly after the restart, with Kylian Mbappé pulling one back in the 48th minute. Darryl Bakola added a second in the 54th minute before Mbappé grabbed his second goal of the night to reduce the deficit further and set up a tense finish.
England restored their cushion in the 87th minute when Saka converted a penalty to complete his hat-trick and make it 5-3.
France refused to give up, with Ousmane Dembélé scoring deep into stoppage time to cut the deficit to 5-4. However, England responded almost immediately as Jude Bellingham netted their sixth goal to seal a dramatic 6-4 victory.
The result ensured England finished third at the tournament, while Saka’s hat-trick capped an outstanding individual performance.
Despite France’s defeat, Mbappé’s two goals moved him into pole position for the Golden Boot with 10 goals, two ahead of Argentina captain Lionel Messi, whose side will face Spain in Sunday’s World Cup final.
