England survived a remarkable France comeback to secure a historic FIFA World Cup 2026 third-place playoff victory, defeating Les Bleus 6-4 in a thrilling bronze medal clash in Miami.
The Three Lions produced a stunning first-half performance, scoring four goals before the break and appearing set for a comfortable win, only for France to launch a sensational fightback after halftime.
The match, often regarded as the fixture “nobody wants to play”, gave England an opportunity to recover from their painful semifinal defeat to Argentina in Atlanta, and they responded in emphatic fashion.
Declan Rice opened the scoring just three minutes into the game with a powerful long-range strike before Ezri Konsa doubled England’s advantage in the 18th minute, heading home from Rice’s corner.
Bukayo Saka then struck twice in the final eight minutes of the first half to give England a commanding 4-0 lead at halftime.
France, however, returned from the break with renewed intensity, inspired by outgoing manager Didier Deschamps in his final match after 14 years in charge.
Kylian Mbappe began the comeback by scoring for France, strengthening his battle with Lionel Messi for the World Cup Golden Boot. Bradley Barcola then reduced the deficit further, making it 4-2 before the hour mark.
Mbappe added another goal in the 67th minute to become the highest-scoring player in World Cup history and bring France within touching distance of a stunning turnaround.
But England finally restrained the comeback attempt when Saka converted a late penalty to complete his hat-trick and secure victory for the Three Lions.
France continued to push forward, with Ousmane Dembele adding another goal to raise hopes of a dramatic recovery and make the scoreline 5-4.
Jude Bellingham, however, finally topped England’s goals with a late win.
Bellingham charged down the pitch, and danced through two Frenchmen before throwing out three dummies and slotting home to give England their sixth and his seventh at the tournament
