World Cup Bronze England Edge France 6-4 in 10-Goal Thriller to Claim Third Place

England defeated France 6-4 in a breathtaking World Cup Bronze play-off on Saturday, producing one of the highest-scoring matches in tournament history to secure third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

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The 10-goal spectacle marked the highest-scoring World Cup match since 1982 and delivered a dramatic finish as England held off a spirited French comeback.

England made a dream start when Declan Rice fired home from long range inside the opening three minutes. Ezri Konsa doubled the advantage in the 18th minute by heading in Rice’s corner.

Bukayo Saka then struck twice before half-time to give the Three Lions a commanding 4-0 lead at the break and leave France facing an uphill battle.

France responded immediately after the restart. In his final match after 14 years as head coach, Didier Deschamps introduced four substitutes, including Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola, to revitalise the attack.

The changes had an instant impact. Kylian Mbappe scored minutes into the second half before Barcola added another goal 10 minutes later to cut England’s lead to 4-2.

Mbappe struck again in the 66th minute to make it 4-3. The goal gave him nine goals in the tournament, extending his lead in the Golden Boot race ahead of Lionel Messi. It also made him the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history, surpassing the previous record.

England regained control late in the match when Saka calmly converted a penalty in the 87th minute to complete his hat-trick and restore a two-goal cushion.

France refused to surrender, with Dembele scoring in stoppage time to reduce the deficit to 5-4 and set up a tense finale.

However, substitute Jude Bellingham sealed England’s victory in the 98th minute with the team’s sixth goal, ending the contest and securing England’s best World Cup finish since lifting the trophy in 1966.

The result capped an entertaining tournament for England, while France finished fourth after falling short despite a spirited second-half fightback.