2026 World Cup: England finishes 3rd after a spectacular match

The third-place match of the 2026 World Cup was a true offensive showcase. After a thrilling encounter full of twists and turns, England defeated France (6-4) and secured third place in the tournament.

The English, more enterprising from the kickoff, quickly took control. In the 3rd minute, Declan Rice opened the scoring with a superb strike. In the 18th minute, Ezri Konsa doubled the lead, heading home a perfectly delivered corner from Rice.

Dominant and more aggressive in the duels, Thomas Tuchel's men then took advantage of French defensive lapses to extend their lead. Bukayo Saka scored the third goal in the 37th minute before grabbing a brace just before halftime (45th minute), thanks to a perfect pass from Eberechi Eze. At halftime, England held a commanding 4-0 lead.

After the break, France responded with much greater intensity. Kylian Mbappé reduced the deficit in the 48th minute with a beautiful pass from Michael Olise. Six minutes later, Bradley Barcola, who had come on at the start of the second half, outpaced the English defense to score France's second goal.

Lacking physical freshness, the English then allowed Les Bleus to pull within a single goal. Perfectly set up once again by Michael Olise, Mbappé completed his brace and scored his 10th World Cup goal (66th minute), bringing the score to 4-3.

Olise, on two occasions, and then Ousmane Dembélé missed several clear opportunities to equalize for France.

Late in the game, England were awarded a penalty after Malo Gusto fouled Djed Spence. Bukayo Saka converted the penalty to complete his hat-trick (87th minute).

Ousmane Dembélé reignited the suspense by scoring France's fourth goal with a magnificent curling shot in stoppage time (90+3). But in the dying seconds, Jude Bellingham capped off the attacking display. The Real Madrid midfielder beat several defenders before scoring England's sixth goal.

Thanks to this spectacular victory (6-4), England finishes in third place in the 2026 World Cup. France, on the other hand, suffers a heavy defeat and finishes fourth in the competition.