England beat France 6-4 to win World Cup bronze despite Mbappe record

England secured third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Saturday, 18 July 2026, defeating France 6-4 in a high-scoring exhibition of attacking football at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. The result marks England’s most successful World Cup finish since their championship victory in 1966.

The match was defined by a stark contrast between two halves, though the final 10-goal tally was the highest-scoring encounter in the tournament since 1982. England surged to a 4-0 lead before the intermission, initiated by Declan Rice’s third-minute long-range strike. Ezri Konsa doubled the lead with an 18th-minute header from a Rice corner, and Bukayo Saka added two further goals before the break. France, struggling with defensive lapses and a lack of early momentum, prompted manager Didier Deschamps to make four substitutions at halftime in his final game after a 14-year tenure.

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The tactical shift triggered a dramatic French response. Kylian Mbappé scored shortly after the restart, his ninth goal of the tournament, followed by a goal from Bradley Barcola. Mbappé added a second in the 66th minute, bringing his personal total to 10 for the tournament and 22 in his career. This achievement moved him ahead of Lionel Messi to become the all-time leading goalscorer in World Cup history. During the same period, France’s Michael Olise recorded his seventh assist of the tournament, establishing a new record for the most assists in a single World Cup since 1970.

Despite the French resurgence, England maintained their composure. Saka converted a penalty in the 87th minute to secure his hat-trick, and Jude Bellingham concluded the scoring in the 98th minute with an individual effort. The goal was Bellingham’s seventh of the tournament, setting a record for the most goals scored by an England player in a single major international competition. This was also the first England match at a major tournament in 10 years where Jordan Pickford did not start in goal; Dean Henderson earned the start for the bronze-medal match.

Reflecting on the match and the preceding tournament, England manager Thomas Tuchel expressed that while the team had high aspirations for the final, the victory provided a necessary reaction to their semi-final loss to Argentina. Tuchel noted,

"It’s the first medal since 1966 and on foreign soil, We almost don’t allow ourselves to be proud of ourselves because we set the highest goal to make it to the final and win the World Cup. It’s very very painful to miss out. It’ll go away but the scar will stay."

For France, the match served as the conclusion for Deschamps. Following the defeat, he expressed pride in his tenure and the progression of his squad, stating,

"I don’t want to sum up my entire career with these two games. Sometimes you are lucky. The stars align and sometimes the opponent is better."

Mbappé, indicated he holds no personal interest in the award given the disappointment of missing the final, adding,

"I would rather NOT be the top scorer and play in the final tomorrow. I don't care about being the top scorer."

With the bronze medal decided, the focus shifts to the tournament final on Sunday, 19 July 2026, at MetLife Stadium, where Spain will face Argentina.