FIFA WC: England vs France 3rd-place playoff clash scripts history
What's the story
The FIFA World Cup 2026 third-place playoff between England and France at the Miami Stadium has rewritten the record books, producing a thrilling 10-goal contest. It was the first World Cup match in 64 years where both teams scored four or more goals, since the Soviet Union and Colombia played out a similar scoreline in 1962. The match saw England beat France 6-4 to win the bronze medal.
Record-breaking
Highest-scoring World Cup match since 1982
The England vs France clash was the highest-scoring World Cup match since Hungary's 10-1 victory over El Salvador in 1982.
It also marked the most goals ever scored in a third-place playoff of the tournament.
Bukayo Saka, who scored a hat-trick, led England's charge with goals in the 37th minute, first-half stoppage time, and from a penalty spot in the 87th minute.
Match dynamics
A look at the thrilling contest
England took an early lead with Declan Rice scoring in the third minute and Ezri Konsa doubling the lead in the 18th minute.
Saka scored twice before half-time, giving England a comfortable 4-0 lead at the break.
However, France made a strong comeback in the second half with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice, Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele also finding the back of the net.
Team effort
Bellingham shines as England secure bronze
Jude Bellingham played a key role in England's win, scoring the final goal in the 8th minute of second-half stoppage time.
This took his tournament tally to seven goals, making it the most scored by an Englishman in a single edition of the World Cup.
The bronze medal marks England's second-best finish at a FIFA World Cup after their 1966 triumph.
Mbappe
Mbappe becomes highest scorer in World Cup history
Mbappe became the highest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history after scoring twice for France against England.
The French captain surpassed Lionel Messi's tally of 21 goals with a stellar performance on football's biggest stage.
From 22 World Cup games across three editions (2018, 2022 and 2026), Mbappe owns 22 goals.
He is one above Messi, who owns 21 goals from 33 matches. Messi has the chance of surpassing Mbappe when Argentina take on Spain in the final on Sunday.