England claimed third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating France 6-4 in a pulsating play-off on Saturday, with Bukayo Saka scoring a hat-trick to secure the Three Lions’ best World Cup finish since lifting the trophy in 1966.
Thomas Tuchel’s men appeared to have wrapped up the contest before halftime after racing into a commanding 4-0 lead through goals from Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and a first-half brace from Saka.
Rice gave England the perfect start with a powerful strike in the third minute before providing the corner that Konsa headed home in the 18th minute. Saka then struck twice before the interval to leave France with a mountain to climb.
France, however, mounted a remarkable comeback after the break in what proved to be Didier Deschamps’ final match in charge of Les Bleus.
Captain Kylian Mbappe led the revival with two goals, while substitute Bradley Barcola also found the net to reduce the deficit to 4-3.
Mbappe’s brace took his tally to ten goals for the tournament, moving him ahead of Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race and making him the highest-scoring player in FIFA World Cup history with 22 goals.
England restored their grip on the contest in the 87th minute after Djed Spence won a penalty following a foul by Malo Gusto. Saka confidently converted from the spot to complete his hat-trick and put England 5-3 ahead.
France responded again in stoppage time as substitute Ousmane Dembele made it 5-4, but England had the final say.
Jude Bellingham capped a superb individual display by weaving through the French defence before calmly finishing in the 98th minute to seal victory in what became the highest-scoring third-place play-off in FIFA World Cup history.
The win ended England’s unsuccessful run in previous third-place matches, having lost to Italy in 1990 and Belgium in 2018.
Bellingham also finished the tournament with seven goals, setting a new record for the most goals scored by an England men’s player at a single FIFA World Cup.
Reflecting on the dramatic victory, Tuchel praised his players for their character following the disappointment of the semi-final defeat to Argentina.
“It was like four matches – what happened here. Crazy first half and a turbulent second half. You could see the difference what one day makes.
“We were so, so tired and drained from the last few weeks. Massive compliment and respect for the mentality we showed with all the adversity. Absolutely brilliant,” he said.
The England manager admitted he had concerns over his team’s fitness but never questioned their resolve.
“This team has created something special. They showed it again,” Tuchel added.
Saka, who was named Player of the Match, said England were determined to finish the tournament on a positive note despite falling short of the final.
“It was a crazy, crazy game. We’re both still quite disappointed to not be in the final but it was about finishing strong and for us giving the country the best finish in the World Cup in 60 years, so we’re happy with the final result,” he said.
The Arsenal winger also revealed that Jude Bellingham immediately encouraged him to take the late penalty and complete his hat-trick.
“No, Jude was never taking it. He was the first one to say go and get your hat-trick, so none of them came to distract me. I was always going to take it,” Saka said.
