England beat France 6-4 in one of the most entertaining matches of the entire 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday, claiming third place at Miami Stadium in a game that swung wildly from a dominant first-half England performance to a furious Kylian Mbappé-inspired French comeback. Bukayo Saka stole the headlines with a first-half brace and a coolly taken second-half penalty to complete his hat-trick, while Mbappé wrote his own piece of history at the other end, passing Lionel Messi to become the World Cup’s all-time leading goal-scorer. For a match that many assumed would be a low-stakes exhibition between two disappointed semifinal losers, this third-place playoff instead delivered ten goals, a managerial changing of the guard, and a fitting send-off for Didier Deschamps’ era in charge of France.
How the Match Unfolded: England’s Dominant First Half
England could not have asked for a better start. Just three minutes in, Désiré Doué’s misplaced pass was intercepted by Declan Rice, who drove at France’s defense before curling a brilliant strike into the far corner from range—a statement opener that set the tone for the next 45 minutes. Rice turned provider soon after, delivering a corner that Ezri Konsa powered home with a header, beating Adrien Rabiot in the air to make it 2-0.
From there, England’s attacking players took full control. Marcus Rashford produced one of the individual highlights of the tournament with a mesmerizing nutmeg on Warren Zaïre-Emery before forcing a save from Mike Maignan, then set up Bukayo Saka for England’s third goal shortly after. Saka doubled his tally before the break, finishing off an Eberechi Eze assist to make it 4-0 at halftime—England’s most complete attacking display of the entire tournament and a first-half scoreline that looked more like a mismatch than a competitive third-place playoff.
For France, the opening 45 minutes were as bad as it gets on the World Cup stage. Doué’s early giveaway set the tone, and by halftime, Deschamps had seen enough, making four substitutions at once — a rare and dramatic in-game overhaul that signaled just how disastrous the first half had been for Les Bleus heading into what was Deschamps’ 187th and final match in charge of the French national team.
Mbappé’s Stunning Second-Half Comeback
Whatever Deschamps said at halftime worked almost immediately. Kylian Mbappé pulled a goal back within three minutes of the restart, finishing a pass from Michael Olise to make it 4-1, before turning provider himself to set up Bradley Barcola for France’s second goal soon after. The comeback gathered pace when Mbappé scored again with an emphatic finish inside the box, dragging France back to 4-3 in a stretch of play that transformed the entire complexion of the match.
Olise nearly leveled the score completely but struck wide from close range with the goal gaping—a miss that would prove costly. Instead, England restored their cushion from the penalty spot after Malo Gusto brought down Djed Spence in the box, with Saka stepping up to convert and complete his hat-trick, making it 5-3. Ousmane Dembélé, introduced at halftime, gave France one final moment of hope with a stoppage-time finish into the far corner to make it 5-4, setting up a tense final few minutes.
Any lingering French hopes were extinguished by a moment of individual brilliance from substitute Jude Bellingham, who drove through France’s defense with composure to make the final score 6-4—a fitting way to end what had become an instant World Cup classic and a match that produced more goals than most entire group-stage rounds combined.
Bukayo Saka’s Hat-Trick and 9/10 Rating
Saka’s performance was the standout of the match from an England perspective, and it’s easy to see why. His first goal came from smart positioning to finish off a counterattack, his second was a well-struck effort across goal from Eze’s pass just before halftime, and his hat-trick-sealing penalty in the 85th minute showed composure under pressure after a difficult second-half stretch in which he’d otherwise gone quiet. The performance earned Saka a match-high 9/10 rating, on par with Declan Rice’s own excellent display in midfield, where the England captain both scored a stunning opener and assisted Konsa’s header.
Beyond the individual numbers, Saka’s hat-trick carries broader significance for England heading into future tournaments. Third-place playoffs are often dismissed as meaningless exhibitions, but for a young core of England players — many of whom, like Saka, are still in their early or mid-twenties — a confident, attacking send-off like this one could carry momentum into qualifying campaigns ahead of the next major tournament. Manager Thomas Tuchel, who earned a 6/10 rating for the match, used the game to give minutes to players who hadn’t featured much across the tournament, suggesting England’s coaching staff viewed the fixture partly as an audition for fringe squad members.
Kylian Mbappé Passes Messi’s All-Time World Cup Scoring Record
While the third-place match didn’t carry direct tournament stakes, it produced one of the individual storylines of the entire World Cup: Mbappé’s brace pushed his career World Cup tally to 22 goals, one ahead of Lionel Messi and enough to make him the outright all-time leading scorer in men’s World Cup history, surpassing the previous record held by Eusébio since 1966 for goals in a single tournament cycle context. According to detailed tournament reporting from ESPN, Mbappé’s second-half brace also gave him the edge in the tournament’s own Golden Boot race, with the Real Madrid forward finishing on 10 goals in North America compared to Messi’s eight.
The record adds another chapter to one of the great individual rivalries in modern football. Mbappé first burst onto the World Cup stage back in 2018, winning the Young Player of the Tournament award and helping France lift the trophy as a teenager before scoring a hat-trick in the iconic 2022 final that Argentina ultimately won on penalties. Messi, meanwhile, had reclaimed the tournament scoring lead earlier in this same World Cup cycle with a hat-trick against Algeria and further goals against Austria, Jordan, Cape Verde, and Egypt — meaning Mbappé’s third-place playoff brace effectively settled, at least for now, one of the most closely watched individual battles of the tournament.
What This Means for England and France Going Forward
For England, finishing third represents a solid if not entirely satisfying result, ending a tournament run that fell short of the final but showcased genuine attacking depth in this concluding match. Tuchel’s decision to rotate personnel and lean into a more expansive attacking approach in a low-pressure fixture offers a glimpse of how he may look to set up the squad going forward, particularly with young talents like Saka, Eze, and Bellingham all contributing directly to goals.
For France, the third-place finish closes the book on the Didier Deschamps era, with reports already circulating about a potential managerial shift toward Zinedine Zidane ahead of France’s next cycle. Deschamps’ final match summarized much of his tenure’s broader story: defensive uncertainty balanced by moments of individual brilliance from world-class attacking talent, with Mbappé once again proving capable of single-handedly dragging his team back into matches that looked lost after 45 minutes.
Full Player Ratings Breakdown: Standouts and Struggles
Beyond Saka and Rice’s headline performances, several other players shaped the outcome of this third-place playoff. Goalkeeper Dean Henderson earned a solid 7/10 for England, making a string of important saves despite being repeatedly exposed by a shaky defensive unit in the second half. Djed Spence also impressed with a 7/10 rating, reading the game well defensively and winning the 85th-minute penalty that allowed Saka to complete his hat-trick.
England’s center-back pairing had a far tougher afternoon. Both Marc Guéhi and Jarell Quansah were rated 5/10, struggling to track France’s dynamic front line once Deschamps’ halftime substitutions injected fresh energy into the French attack. Quansah in particular was beaten by Bradley Barcola for France’s second goal before being forced off with an injury shortly afterward.
On the French side, the story was almost uniformly bleak until the substitutions changed the complexion of the match. Goalkeeper Mike Maignan was rated just 4/10 after conceding four times in the first half alone, while defenders Theo Hernández, Maxence Lacroix, and Malo Gusto all received matching 4/10 ratings for a defensive display that allowed England’s front line to carve through repeatedly. The introduction of substitutes Lucas Digne, Dayot Upamecano, Ousmane Dembélé, and Bradley Barcola at halftime—all rated 6/10 or 7/10—largely explains why France’s second-half performance looked like an entirely different team from the one that conceded four times before the break.
Michael Olise was one of the few French players to earn credit across both halves, finishing with a 7/10 rating after providing the assist for Mbappé’s opening goal and setting up his second before missing a golden equalizing chance late on. Mbappé’s own 9/10 rating matched Saka’s as the joint-highest of the match, reflecting his outsized individual impact even in a losing effort.
A Fitting Farewell Amid a Wider Tournament Context
This third-place finish also arrives at a pivotal moment for both nations’ football programs. Deschamps’ departure after 187 matches in charge closes out one of the most successful managerial tenures in French football history, one that included a World Cup title in 2018 and a final appearance in 2022. Reports circulating the tournament suggest French football officials are already exploring a move toward Zinedine Zidane as Deschamps’ successor, which would mark a symbolically significant changing of the guard for Les Bleus heading into the next World Cup cycle.
For England, the third-place finish comes just one day before the tournament’s ultimate showpiece: Spain is facing Argentina in Sunday’s final at New York-New Jersey Stadium, a rematch of sorts between two of the tournament’s most dominant sides. England’s own path to this point included a hard-fought semifinal loss, and Tuchel’s decision to field a more expansive, attacking lineup in this third-place game—rather than a conservative, low-risk approach—suggests the England setup is already looking ahead to future tournaments rather than treating this fixture as a mere formality. Whether that attacking approach becomes a long-term identity for the team remains one of the more interesting subplots to watch as England begins its next qualifying cycle.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the final score when England beat France for third place? England won 6-4 in an extraordinary match at Miami Stadium, with the score reaching 4-0 at halftime before France mounted a dramatic second-half comeback.
Who scored a hat-trick for England? Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick, netting twice in the first half before converting a second-half penalty to complete his treble.
Did Mbappé break Messi’s World Cup goal-scoring record? Yes. Mbappé’s second-half brace took his career World Cup tally to 22 goals, one more than Messi, making him the all-time leading World Cup goal-scorer.
Who was the standout player of the match? Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice both earned 9/10 ratings, with Rice scoring a stunning opener and assisting England’s second goal, while Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot.
This article reflects match reporting from the 2026 FIFA World Cup third-place playoff played on Saturday, July 18, 2026.
