England defeats France 6-4 in 2026 FIFA World Cup third-place

England secured third place at the World Cup on Saturday following a breathtaking 6-4 victory over France in Miami, a high-scoring romp illuminated by Bukayo Saka’s clinical hat-trick.

It proved a catastrophic first half for France coach Didier Deschamps in what was his final match in charge. Having made multiple changes from the line-up defeated by Spain in the semi-finals, the revamped French defence fell into complete disarray. Declan Rice initiated the scoring with a brilliant long-range effort before Ezri Konsa doubled the advantage by nodding in from close range. Saka then notched two quick-fire goals to leave England leading 4-0 at half-time.

A furious Deschamps bolstered his line-up at the break with a clutch of first-choice players, sparking an immediate resurgence. Within three minutes of the restart, Bradley Barcola struck and Kylian Mbappe scored his ninth of the tournament. 

The 27-year-old forward then netted again to become the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history with 22 goals across three tournaments, though Messi can still reclaim the record. 

Saka rounded off his hat-trick from the penalty spot before Ousmane Dembele struck in the sixth minute of added time. However, Jude Bellingham capped a superb personal tournament, dribbling through the French defence to score England's sixth, making him the first Three Lions player to score seven goals at a single World Cup.

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