England held off a remarkable France comeback to win a classic 6-4 thriller in the FIFA World Cup 2026 third-place playoff at Miami Stadium on Saturday. Bukayo Saka starred with a historic hat-trick as the Three Lions overcame a nervy second half to seal the bronze medal, ending decades of frustration in third-place matches and recording their best World Cup finish since becoming champions in 1966.
Thomas Tuchel's side flew out of the blocks and overwhelmed France from the opening whistle. Declan Rice opened the scoring after just two minutes, capitalising on a loose ball and firing a long-distance rocket into the bottom corner. England doubled their advantage in the 18th minute when Rice's corner found Ezri Konsa, who planted his header brilliantly.
Saka then took centre stage. The Arsenal winger finished clinically from Rashford's pass in the 37th minute before adding a second in first-half stoppage time after Eberechi Eze carved open the French defence. England's relentless attacking display handed them a stunning 4-0 lead at the break and condemned France to the worst first half in their FIFA World Cup history, with Les Bleus conceding four first-half goals and trailing by four goals in a World Cup match for the first time.
ALSO READ | Bukayo Saka Delivers Historic World Cup Hat-Trick In England's Bronze Medal Clash Against France
France, however, refused to fold. Kylian Mbappe gave Didier Deschamps' side hope three minutes after the restart before substitute Bradley Barcola reduced the deficit further in the 54th minute. Mbappe struck again in the 66th minute after another incisive move involving Michael Olise, cutting England's lead to a single goal and setting up a tense finale after the Three Lions had looked to be cruising.
With momentum firmly on France's side, England found their decisive moment in the 87th minute. Djed Spence was brought down inside the penalty area and Saka calmly converted from the spot to complete his hat-trick and restore a two-goal cushion. Ousmane Dembele ensured another dramatic twist by scoring deep into stoppage time, but substitute Jude Bellingham ended any lingering hopes of an extraordinary comeback by racing clear and finishing confidently in the 98th minute to make it 6-4.
The 10-goal spectacle became the highest-scoring third-place playoff in FIFA World Cup history. Saka also joined Geoff Hurst, Gary Lineker and Harry Kane as only the fourth England player to score a World Cup hat-trick, while Mbappe's brace saw him finish the tournament as the outright Golden Boot leader with 10 goals and move to 22 World Cup career goals, the most by any player in history.
For England, the victory erased the disappointment of losing the semi-final to Argentina and ended defeats in the third-place playoffs of 1990 and 2018. More significantly, it delivered the nation's first World Cup medal since 1966 and provided Tuchel's young side with valuable momentum ahead of Euro 2028 on home soil.
ALSO READ | Kylian Mbappe Becomes FIFA World Cup's All-Time Top Scorer With Historic Brace Against England
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
