England Thrash France 6-4 in Wild Third-Place Classic
England leave Hard Rock Stadium with bronze after a 6-4 win over France. Saka scored three. FIFA called it barely believable.
Miami was never going to feel like a final. It still produced the highest-scoring third-place match in World Cup history.
England's scorers, from FIFA and the Wikipedia knockout record: Declan Rice 3', Ezri Konsa 18', Bukayo Saka 37', 45+1' and 87' from the penalty spot, Jude Bellingham 90+8'. France: Kylian Mbappe 48' and 66', Bradley Barcola 54', Ousmane Dembele 90+6'. Saka's hat-trick sat inside a ten-goal night.
England take bronze, their best tournament finish since 1966. France finish fourth after a semi-final loss to Spain.
The stakes
Third place at the 2026 World Cup. Ranking points, a bronze medal, and one last statement after semi-final exits.
The rivalry angle
Familiar European rivals with club-level connections meeting again when only pride and a podium place remained.
Players who could decide it
Hat-trick, including a penalty at 87'. FIFA's bronze-final headline.
Two goals (48', 66') in a losing 6-4. The night still ran through him.
Did you know?
- !Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick in the bronze final.
- !The 6-4 scoreline is the highest-scoring third-place match in World Cup history.
- !England's finish is their best at a World Cup since 1966.
Head to head
Recent tournament meetings have been decided by fine margins until this thrashing rewrote the record books.
Sources
Every score and ranking on this page is locked to a named source. If it is not here, it is not on the page.
