England claimed their first World Cup bronze medal and their best tournament finish since the 1966 title, defeating France 6-4 in a chaotic third-place match at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. Bukayo Saka scored three times, including a late penalty to complete his hat-trick, while Jude Bellingham added the final goal in the eighth minute of stoppage time to halt a ferocious French comeback. The ten goals made it the highest-scoring World Cup fixture since 1982 and the most prolific third-place playoff in the competition’s history.

The contest lurched from English dominance to French resurgence. Declan Rice opened the scoring after three minutes with a long-range strike, and Ezri Konsa headed in a corner to double the lead. Saka then struck twice before the interval, first converting a rebound after a Marcus Rashford counter-attack and then finishing a through ball from Eberechi Eze, sending England into the break 4-0 ahead. French head coach Didier Deschamps, in his final match after fourteen years in charge, described the first-half display as “catastrophic” and made four substitutions at half-time, introducing Ousmane Dembélé, Dayot Upamecano, Lucas Digne and Bradley Barcola.

The changes transformed the match. Within three minutes of the restart, Kylian Mbappé latched onto a Michael Olise pass to pull one back, and Barcola soon added a second after being released by Mbappé. When Mbappé swept in his second of the night after a one-two with Olise, France had reduced the deficit to 4-3 and were pressing for an equaliser. The striker’s brace took his tournament tally to ten goals and his all-time World Cup record to 22, surpassing Lionel Messi’s 21. Olise, meanwhile, registered his seventh assist of the tournament, breaking a record previously held by Pelé.

England regained control when Malo Gusto fouled Djed Spence in the area and Saka converted the penalty. Dembélé scored France’s fourth deep into added time, but Bellingham, who had started on the bench alongside Harry Kane, immediately drove forward to score England’s sixth and seal the result. Analysts in London noted that the victory, while a consolation, provided a measure of vindication for head coach Thomas Tuchel after criticism of his tactical choices in the semi-final defeat to Argentina. French media, meanwhile, framed the evening as a bittersweet farewell for Deschamps, who led Les Bleus to the 2018 title and the 2022 final.

England’s third-place finish earned them $29 million in prize money, with France receiving $27 million. Mbappé now leads the Golden Boot race with ten goals, two ahead of Messi, who will have the chance to respond when Argentina face Spain in Sunday’s final in East Rutherford, New Jersey.