England secured their first-ever third-place finish at the World Cup by defeating France 6-4 in a remarkable third-place playoff in Miami, a match that saw both teams set a tournament record by playing their eighth fixture of the finals.
The fixture made history before kick-off as England and France became the first national sides to contest eight matches at a single World Cup, double the workload faced by champions of the earliest four tournaments. What followed was an extraordinary encounter featuring ten goals, multiple record-breaking performances and a dramatic comeback that ultimately fell short for Didier Deschamps in his final match as France head coach.
England race to four-goal lead
Thomas Tuchel’s side dominated the first half, racing into a 4-0 lead that reflected their intensity against a sluggish French defence. Declan Rice opened the scoring in the third minute, capitalising on a loose pass to fire past Mike Maignan. Ezri Konsa doubled the advantage with a header from Rice’s corner, before Bukayo Saka struck twice before the interval—the second a fine finish from Eberechi Eze’s assist.
France’s back four struggled throughout the opening period, with high defensive lines repeatedly exploited by England’s pace. The scoreline could have been worse for Les Bleus had Maignan not denied Marcus Rashford with a smart save.
France fightback falls short
Deschamps made four substitutions at half-time, including the introduction of Dayot Upamecano, and the complexion of the match changed entirely. Kylian Mbappé began the revival three minutes after the restart, converting Michael Olise’s through ball to make it 4-1. Bradley Barcola quickly added a second, and when Mbappé exchanged passes with Olise on the edge of the area to score his tenth goal of the tournament, France trailed only 4-3.
However, Ousmane Dembélé and Olise both missed chances to equalise before Malo Gusto conceded a penalty, which Saka converted to complete his hat-trick and restore England’s two-goal cushion. Dembélé did pull one back for France, but Jude Bellingham—introduced from the bench—hammered home England’s sixth to seal the victory.
Historic individual achievements
The match witnessed several landmark performances. Michael Olise’s two assists for Mbappé took his tournament tally to seven, breaking Pelé’s record for the most assists in a single World Cup edition. The Bayern Munich winger provided the final pass for Mbappé’s brace, which elevated the France captain to 22 goals in 22 World Cup matches, making him the competition’s all-time leading scorer. His ten goals in this tournament also made him the first player to reach double figures at a World Cup since West Germany’s Gerd Müller in 1970.
For England, Jude Bellingham became the first player in the national team’s history to score seven goals at a single World Cup. Saka’s hat-trick took his tournament tally to five, while the result secured England’s maiden third-place finish following their 1966 triumph.
The defeat marked the conclusion of Deschamps’ 14-year tenure, during which he guided France to the 2018 title and the 2022 final. Attention now turns to Sunday’s final in Miami, where Spain face Argentina for the trophy.