…as both teams produced an enthralling encounter that delivered 10 goals and several individual milestones
By Frank Ulom
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Published on July 19, 2026
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4 min read
England secured the bronze medal at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating France 6-4 in a breathtaking third-place playoff that became the highest-scoring bronze-medal match in the tournament’s history.
The Three Lions overcame the disappointment of their semi-final defeat to Argentina with an attacking masterclass, holding off a spirited French comeback to seal their best World Cup finish since lifting the trophy in 1966.
Despite England manager Thomas Tuchel describing the third-place fixture earlier in the week as a match “nobody wants to play in”, both teams produced an enthralling encounter that delivered 10 goals and several individual milestones.
England made a dream start as Declan Rice opened the scoring within minutes. The midfielder capitalised on a misplaced pass from Désiré Doué before curling a superb effort from 25 yards beyond France goalkeeper Mike Maignan to hand the Three Lions an early lead.
Tuchel’s side maintained the pressure and doubled their advantage in the 20th minute. Rice turned provider with an inswinging corner that found Ezri Konsa, who rose highest to power a header into the net for 2-0.
France struggled to contain England’s intensity, and a rapid counterattack led to the third goal. With Maignan caught off his line, Bukayo Saka pounced on the loose opportunity to fire home and extend England’s lead.
Saka was not finished. Eberechi Eze threaded a perfectly weighted pass into the winger’s path, and the Arsenal forward beat his marker before finishing brilliantly to make it 4-0 before half-time.
England appeared to have one hand on the bronze medal, but France mounted a remarkable fightback after the interval.
Kylian Mbappé sparked the revival almost immediately after the restart, finishing a swift counterattack to reduce the deficit to 4-1. Bradley Barcola added another goal shortly afterwards before Michael Olise provided an excellent assist for Mbappé to score again and cut England’s advantage to 4-3.
Mbappé’s brace saw the French captain reach 22 career World Cup goals, moving him ahead of Lionel Messi to become the competition’s all-time leading scorer. The 27-year-old also increased his tally to 10 goals at the tournament, strengthening his grip on the Golden Boot race.
Olise’s assist was his seventh of the World Cup, surpassing Pelé’s record for the most assists in a single edition of the tournament. However, the winger missed two clear opportunities that could have completed France’s comeback.
England eventually regained control late in the match when Malo Gusto fouled Djed Spence inside the penalty area. Saka calmly converted the resulting spot-kick in the 87th minute to restore a two-goal cushion at 5-3.
France refused to surrender, with Ousmane Dembélé taking advantage of poor defending to score and make it 5-4, setting up a tense finale.
Substitute Jude Bellingham ultimately sealed the victory in spectacular fashion. The midfielder dribbled past three defenders inside the French penalty area before beating Maignan to score England’s sixth goal and cap a memorable performance.
Bellingham’s strike was his seventh of the tournament, setting a new England World Cup scoring record and ensuring the Three Lions left the United States, Canada and Mexico with the bronze medal.
For England, the dramatic victory ended their campaign on a high note and delivered their strongest World Cup finish in six decades.
Full score below:
- 3′ | France 0-1 England (Rice)
- 18′ | France 0-2 England (Konsa)
- 37′ | France 0-3 England (Saka)
- 46′ | France 0-4 England (Saka) (Pen)
- 48′ | France 1-4 England (Mbappé)
- 54′ | France 2-4 England (Barcola)
- 66′ | France 3-4 England (Mbappé)
