4-0 To 4-3 To 6-4: England Clinch Bronze In Record-Breaking 3rd-Place Playoff Against France

Bukayo Saka scored three goals to lead England to a 6-4 win over France for third place in the FIFA World Cup 2026, while Kylian Mbappe surpassed Lionel Messi's career tournament scoring record and took the lead in the Golden Boot race with a pair of second-half goals. It was the highest-scoring World Cup game since Hungary beat El Salvador 10-1 in 1982, and the 10 goals were the most in a third-place match. Saka had goals in the 37th minute and in first-half stoppage time, then added his third on a penalty in the 87th for his second career hat trick with England.

The Three Lions also got goals from Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa to build a 4-0 halftime lead, and they hung on during a wild second half to secure their second-best finish in the World Cup. England won its only title in 1966.

Kylian Mbappe scored twice in the second half and Bradley Barcola scored once, as France reduced England's lead from four goals to one goal in the second half. However, Saka's penalty goal in the 37th minute restored England's two-goal advantage.

Ousmane Dembele added a fourth goal for France in injury time, but England's Jude Bellingham capped the scoring in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time, his seventh goal of the tournament.

Mbappe reached 22 career goals, one more than Messi. The star striker finished this World Cup with 10 goals, two ahead of Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, which is awarded to the tournament's top scorer.

Messi will get one last shot at the scoring title when he and defending champion Argentina face Spain on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele also scored for France.

Both teams had said they'd rather be playing in Sunday's final. France had enough offensive firepower to potentially win the tournament, but Les Bleus lost to Spain in the semifinals and squandered their chance at reaching a third straight World Cup final. England blew a 1-0 lead against Argentina and lost 2-1 when Messi assisted on two late goals.

Still, a sellout crowd of 64,478 showed up to watch the seventh and final match of this World Cup at Hard Rock Stadium.

Plenty of supporters were cheering for both teams, but many were there simply for the atmosphere of the low-stakes match.

“I love English football,” said Gaston Esquivel, a native of Mexico City who came to support England. “I've followed the Premier League since I was a kid. I am a Manchester United fan. I like their style, I like their game.”

Thomas Viel, who traveled from Paris to follow France throughout the tournament, was hoping to see a hat trick by Mbappe. He nearly got his wish.

France trailed 4-0 when Mbappe flicked a shot past goalkeeper Dean Henderson in the 48th minute. Then he beat Henderson again with a left-footed strike from about 14 yards in the 66th.

“I think Messi will not score a hat trick tomorrow,” Viel said.

It was also the final match for France coach Didier Deschamps, who has said he will step down after 14 years. Deschamps embraced players and waved toward the crowd as he exited the pitch.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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England France 2026 FIFA World Cup Saka Mbappe Olise Barcola Football Bellingham Dembele Declan Rice