MIAMI (Kashmir English): England defeated France 6–4 in a historic, 10-goal thriller to claim the bronze medal in the 2026 FIFA World Cup third-place play-off.
England ran rampant in the first 45 minutes, exposing a wide-open French defense. With Declan Rice opening the scoring in the third minute with a brilliant long-range strike.
In the 18th minute, Ezri Konsa doubled the lead, heading in from a Rice corner.
In the 37th minute, Bukayo Saka swept home a third goal following a chaotic counterattack.
In the second half, Didier Deschamps, managing his final match for France, made a flurry of halftime substitutions that completely shifted the momentum.
In the 47th minute, Kylian Mbappé quickly pulled one back, calmly beating Dean Henderson while in the 54th minute, Bradley Barcola capitalized on his pace to slot home a second French goal.
Mbappé later thumped home his second of the match to draw France within one, making it 4–3.
In the 86th minute, Bukayo Saka completed his hat-trick, stepping up to smash home a crucial penalty kick.
Kylian Mbappé at 2026 FIFA World Cup
Despite the defeat, Kylian Mbappé took absolute control of the tournament’s individual milestones. With his two goals, he overtook Lionel Messi to lead the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot race with 10 total goals.
Furthermore, Mbappé officially became the all-time leading goalscorer in men’s FIFA World Cup history.
Meanwhile, France’s Michael Olise tied Pelé’s 1970 record for the most assists in a single men’s World Cup tournament by recording his sixth assist.
