England secured third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a thrilling 6-4 victory over France in a dramatic bronze-medal playoff on Saturday in Miami, while Kylian Mbappe became the tournament's all-time leading goalscorer.
Both sides entered the match disappointed after falling short in the semi-finals. France were comfortably beaten by Spain, while England suffered a heartbreaking late defeat to defending champions Argentina.
England made a dream start as Declan Rice opened the scoring with a long-range strike in the third minute. Ezri Konsa doubled the lead with a powerful header before Bukayo Saka added two more goals, giving Thomas Tuchel's side a commanding 4-0 advantage by half-time.
France coach Didier Deschamps described his team's first-half performance as "catastrophic" and responded by making four substitutions at the break. The changes immediately transformed the contest.
Kylian Mbappe sparked the comeback with his ninth goal of the tournament before Bradley Barcola reduced the deficit further. Mbappe then struck again from Michael Olise's assist to score his 22nd career World Cup goal, surpassing Lionel Messi to become the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history.
Despite France's resurgence, England restored control when Saka converted a penalty to complete his hat-trick after Malo Gusto fouled Djed Spence inside the area.
Ousmane Dembele pulled one back for France late in the match, but Jude Bellingham capped the scoring with a brilliant solo effort to make it 6-4, sealing England's victory in one of the highest-scoring matches in World Cup history.
Bellingham's strike also saw him become the first England player to score seven goals in World Cup history.
The third-place finish marks England's best World Cup result since lifting the trophy in 1966, although Tuchel's side will still reflect on the painful semi-final defeat to Argentina.
For France, the defeat ended their campaign on a disappointing note, but Mbappe left the tournament with another remarkable milestone, becoming the greatest goalscorer in World Cup history while strengthening his lead in the race for the 2026 Golden Boot.
