England beat France 6-4 to secure World Cup third place
England ended their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign spectacularly after defeating France 6-4 in one of the highest-scoring knockout matches in tournament history.
Bukayo Saka stole the spotlight with a brilliant hat-trick as the Three Lions secured the bronze medal and recorded their best World Cup finish on foreign soil. The result also marked England's highest placing at a men's World Cup since lifting the trophy in 1966.
England needed only minutes to take control.
Declan Rice opened the scoring with a powerful strike after capitalising on a loose pass before defender Ezri Konsa doubled the advantage from a corner. France struggled to cope with England's intensity, and defensive lapses were ruthlessly punished.
Saka then added two goals before halftime, giving England a commanding four-goal cushion and leaving Didier Deschamps' side facing an uphill battle. It was the first time France had trailed by four goals at halftime in a World Cup match.
France mounts furious comeback
Whatever was said inside the French dressing room had an immediate impact.
Kylian Mbappe sparked the revival early in the second half before Bradley Barcola reduced the deficit further. Mbappe struck again to make it a one-goal game, increasing the pressure on England while also strengthening his bid for the tournament's Golden Boot.
France dominated long spells of the second half and created several opportunities to complete an extraordinary comeback.
Saka delivers the decisive blow
With momentum swinging towards France, England found their hero once again. After Djed Spence was brought down inside the penalty area, Saka calmly converted from the spot to complete his hat-trick and restore England's breathing space.
Ousmane Dembele gave France late hope with another goal in stoppage time, but Jude Bellingham produced one final moment of brilliance. The midfielder surged through the French defence before finishing confidently to complete the scoring and seal England's victory.
Records broken in historic encounter
The thrilling contest entered the World Cup record books for several reasons. Saka became only the second England player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup knockout match after Sir Geoff Hurst's famous treble in the 1966 final.
England also recorded their highest-ever World Cup finish outside home soil while defeating a higher-ranked nation at the tournament for the first time in more than two decades.
For France, it was the first time they had conceded six goals in a World Cup fixture, bringing Didier Deschamps' long reign as head coach to an end on a disappointing note.
Positive finish for England
Although England narrowly missed out on a place in the final, the attacking display offered supporters plenty of encouragement. Thomas Tuchel's side played with freedom, creativity and confidence, producing one of the tournament's standout performances.
With a youthful core featuring Saka, Bellingham, Rice and several emerging talents, England leave North America believing their next opportunity to challenge for football's biggest prize may not be far away.
SportsLigue
