What looked like a routine match for third place in the 2026 World Cup between England and France ended up becoming one of the most spectacular games of the tournament. England defeated France 6-4 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami in a match full of excitement, shifts in momentum, and historic records that will remain etched in fans’ memories.
Although both teams entered the match after being eliminated in the semifinals, the game was far from being a meaningless farewell. England capitalized on a nearly perfect first half to build a four-goal lead, while France fought back strongly in the second half and came very close to staging a historic comeback.
Mbappé Makes History at the World Cup
MBAPPÉ GOT IT ALL! 🇫🇷👏
After France’s loss to England in the World Cup third-place match, Kylian Mbappé left an impression that speaks to his greatness.
Instead of leaving right away, he went up to each of the English players one by one to congratulate them on their… pic.twitter.com/bilZdoCPXg
— Motivaciones Fútbol (@MotivacionesF) July 19, 2026
Regardless of the result, the big news of the afternoon was Kylian Mbappé’s new record.
The French forward scored two goals, bringing his total to 22 in World Cups, and became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history, surpassing Lionel Messi.
In addition, the Real Madrid forward reached ten goals in this year’s tournament, taking the lead in the race for the Golden Boot. Messi will still have a chance to respond in the final against Spain.
England came out strong from the start
THIRD PLACE STOLE THE SHOW
England 6-4 France. All-time record: 10 goals—the highest-scoring bronze-medal match in World Cup history. Very little defense. And plenty of excitement. pic.twitter.com/FT4sk4z8X4
— José Ramón Fernández (@joserra_espn) July 18, 2026
The team led by Thomas Tuchel came out determined to end the tournament with a victory.
Just three minutes into the game, Declan Rice opened the scoring with a powerful shot from outside the box.
Later, Ezri Konsa extended the lead off a corner kick.
The French defense never found a way to counter the speed of Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford, who constantly broke through the lines with runs off the ball and attacks down the wings.
Before halftime, Saka scored twice to complete a brace and make the score 4-0, reflecting England’s complete dominance in the first half.
France made a comeback after halftime
🤝❤️ THEY GOT IT ALL!
After the final whistle of the third-place match between England and France, one of the most emotional moments of this World Cup unfolded.
Far from the celebrations and frustration, players from both teams gathered in the center of the field to… pic.twitter.com/5CYENpeFhN
— Soccer Motivation (@MotivacionesF) July 19, 2026
Didier Deschamps completely reshuffled his lineup for the second half, bringing in Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola and making changes to the defensive line.
The transformation was immediate.
France began to control the ball and found open spaces thanks to the mobility of Mbappé, Michael Olise, Dembélé, and Barcola.
Mbappé scored a goal early in the second half and, shortly afterward, set up Barcola to bring the French team even closer.
Mbappé himself scored again to make it 4-3 and fuel hopes of a comeback that seemed possible.
However, England withstood the pressure and caught a break when Bukayo Saka completed his hat trick from the penalty spot.
The game was still full of excitement.
Ousmane Dembélé scored France’s fourth goal in stoppage time, but Jude Bellingham responded almost immediately to seal the final score of 6-4.
A spectacular finale to the World Cup
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE WORLD CUP THIRD-PLACE FINISH!! The England national team posing with their BRONZE MEDAL after defeating Kylian Mbappé’s French national team. This is England’s best World Cup performance since 1966. They hadn’t stood on a World Cup podium in 60 years… pic.twitter.com/saKiG9GXKz
— Invictos (@InvictosSomos) July 18, 2026
The back-and-forth scoring made this match the first World Cup game with at least ten goals since Spain 1982.
In addition to Mbappé’s record, Michael Olise also made his mark by recording two assists, bringing his total to seven in the tournament and surpassing a record previously held by Pelé.
With this victory, England secured third place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a match that went from being considered inconsequential to becoming one of the most entertaining of the tournament.
Filed under: England vs. France World Cup