Ten-goal thriller: England beats France 6-4 to win World Cup’s third-place playoff

Ostensibly marginal encounter between two teams that failed to make it to the final becomes the highest-scoring World Cup game since 1982

By ToI Staff and Reuters 19 July 2026, 3:52 am

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England’s Bukayo Saka shoots for goal during the World Cup third-place playoff soccer match between France and England in Miami Gardens, Florida, July 18, 2026. (AP/Rebecca Blackwell)

England beat France by a staggering 6 goals to 4, to take third place in the World Cup on Saturday.

The 10-goal thriller in Miami was the highest-scoring World Cup game since 1982, when Hungary beat El Salvador 10-1, and the standout match of this year’s tournament.

England raced to a 4-0 lead at half-time, with Declan Rice opening the scoring in the third minute, completely overwhelming France. But France came out reinvigorated for the second half and would not be beaten.

With Kylian Mbappe leading the charge, France pulled back to 4-3, before England pushed further ahead to 5-3.

But France scored again for 5-4, and went looking to tie the game, only for England to complete the thrilling victory with a sixth goal, a glorious solo effort by Jude Bellingham, in stoppage time.

Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick for England — two in the first half and a second-half penalty, winning himself player of the match.

England’s midfielder Jude Bellingham celebrates scoring his team’s sixth and final goal during the 2026 World Cup third-place match between France and England at the Miami Stadium in Miami on July 18, 2026 (CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP)

“We had a brilliant first half and then a turbulent second half,” said England manager Thomas Tuchel.

“We are so, so tired and drained from the last weeks … I have said it before, this team has created something very special, and they showed it again.”

Mbappe scored twice for France, in the process becoming the top scorer in World Cup history with 22 goals. Mbappe has scored his goals over three World Cups and is now one ahead of Argentina’s Lionel Messi.

Messi’s Argentina plays Spain on Sunday in the World Cup final, where he will have one more chance to bump up his own tallies and win the Golden Boot, awarded to the tournament’s top scorer.

France’s Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring his side’s 3rd goal during the World Cup third-place playoff soccer match between France and England in Miami Gardens, Fla., July 18, 2026 (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Mbappe, speaking after the match, said, “In the first half, I can understand those who say we were taking the piss, that we didn’t respect the shirt.”

“I would say instead that we were human. Unfortunately, we were completely stunned. They gave us a proper wake-up call,” the French player admitted. “In the second half, we became top-level players again, mental machines who no longer have feelings.”

England had been at a low going into the game, having lost 2-1 to Argentina despite initially taking the lead in Wednesday’s semi-final, with coach Tuchel heavily criticized for packing his team with defenders to try to retain the lead for the final half-hour of the game, only for a Messi-inspired Argentina to score twice in the game’s dying minutes.

Ahead of Saturday’s game, it had been reported that neither England nor France was too happy about having to play, with the contest for third place a marginal encounter following the two sides’ defeats in their respective semi-finals. France had lost 2-0 to Spain on Tuesday.

In the event, however, the lack of pressure led to a remarkably open game, with France’s ferocious but thwarted comeback and England’s insistent and delighted victory indicating that both teams had, in fact, been extremely determined to win.