England claimed the third-place finish at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday, defeating France 5-3 in a high-scoring contest at Miami Stadium in what proved to be the most prolific third-place match in tournament history. The two nations faced off after suffering setbacks in the semifinals, with Spain eliminating France and Argentina ousting England to defend its title.
England’s offensive dominance in the opening half proved decisive, with Declan Rice scoring in the 3rd minute to set the tone. Ezri Konsa added a second goal off a corner kick in the 18th minute, followed by Bukayo Saka’s strike in the 37th minute, with England extending its lead to 4-0 by halftime despite leaving star players Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham on the bench.
France mounted a remarkable second-half comeback, with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice to move atop the all-time World Cup goals list with 21 career goals and assuming the Golden Boot lead. Bradley Barcola added a goal to make it 4-3 before England stabilized the match with a penalty conversion by Saka and a late goal from Bellingham to seal the 5-3 victory.
The 10-goal combined output surpassed the previous third-place match record set in 1958 between France and West Germany. England’s finish marks its best World Cup result since winning the tournament in 1966, while Spain and Argentina will contest the championship on Sunday at New York-New Jersey Stadium.
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