Bukayo Saka’s hat-trick carries England through a ten-goal bronze match against France

England beat France 6-4 in the third-place match at the 2026 World Cup. Bukayo Saka scored three goals during the match. Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and Jude Bellingham added England’s other goals. France recovered from a four-goal half-time deficit in Miami. However, they never drew level before 64,478 spectators.

Kylian Mbappe scored twice for France and moved to 22 career World Cup goals. Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele also scored during the second-half response. The ten goals set a record for a World Cup third-place playoff. No tournament match had produced that many since 1982.

England scored twice in the opening 18 minutes

England needed only three minutes to score. Rice struck from outside the penalty area and beat Mike Maignan. France had changed several starters after losing their semifinal.

Saka soon put the ball in the net, but officials ruled him offside. England continued attacking from wide positions. The next valid goal came from central defender Ezri Konsa.

Konsa made it 2-0 in the 18th minute. France now had to chase the match and leave more room behind midfield. England did not slow the game. England continued to move the ball toward Saka’s side. Their quick passes arrived before the French pressure became organised.

Saka turned a strong half into a four-goal lead

Saka scored his first goal in the 37th minute. It was his second valid finish of the night after the earlier offside call. His movement took him away from the first defender. England found him before France placed another player between Saka and the penalty area.

The winger struck again in first-half added time. England entered the half-time break with a 4-0 lead. France had reached the previous two World Cup finals. The score reflected England’s direct attacks throughout the match. France also lost its defensive spacing after turnovers.

France made four substitutions at half-time and attacked immediately after the restart. Mbappe scored three minutes into the second half. Barcola added another goal six minutes later.

Mbappe started a rapid French recovery

Mbappe scored in the 48th minute with a flick past Dean Henderson. Barcola added France’s second six minutes later. The two goals arrived quickly enough to restore belief. England remained ahead when the French pressure increased. Their original four-goal protection had already fallen by half.

The French captain scored again in the 66th minute. His left-footed finish from inside the area made it 4-3. Mbappe had moved from a difficult first half to two goals in 18 minutes. England now protected a one-goal lead. France continued searching for another quick goal.

France continued attacking after Mbappe made the score 4-3. England protected the lead until the 87th minute. Saka then converted a penalty and restored a two-goal advantage.

The tournament ends in New Jersey, where Spain meet defending champions Argentina in the final.

A late penalty completed Saka’s hat-trick

England survived the strongest French period and reached the final minutes with the lead intact. In the 87th minute, Saka converted a penalty for his third goal. It was his second hat-trick for the senior national team. The goal restored England’s two-goal margin during France’s late attack.

Dembele scored in the sixth minute of added time and made it 5-4. France had another narrow route back into the match. Two minutes later, Bellingham carried the ball into the area and completed the scoring. His seventh goal of the tournament gave England a 6-4 final margin.

Bellingham’s total is the highest by an England player at one World Cup. Harry Kane scored six in 2018 and again in 2026, while Gary Lineker scored six in 1986. The late goal therefore added an individual record to a match already filled with unusual numbers.

Mbappe leaves the tournament with a scoring record

Mbappe’s two goals moved him to 22 across his World Cup career. He passed Lionel Messi’s previous record of 21 before the final. The French forward also reached ten goals at the 2026 tournament. He ended the bronze match two goals ahead of Messi.

The record did not bring France a medal. Mbappe said that he would have preferred to play in the final instead of leading the historical list. His second-half work gave France a chance after the poor start. However, the team had conceded too much before he scored.

France also received goals from Barcola and Dembele. All four French goals came after half-time. Six England goals still left France outside the medal positions.

The match was Didier Deschamps’ final game as France coach. He had announced that he would leave after the tournament. Players gathered around him after the final whistle, and he waved to the crowd before leaving the field. Deschamps reached three World Cup finals during his 14 years in charge.

Deschamps led France for 14 years and reached three World Cup finals. His final tournament ended in fourth place. France confirmed before the competition that he would leave afterward.

England achieved their best World Cup finish since the 1966 title. Saka left with the match ball. Bellingham finished the tournament with an England record of seven goals.