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| Saka Inspires England To 6-4 Win Over France |
England Beat France 6-4 To Finish Third At 2026 FIFA World Cup
England secured the bronze medal at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating France 6-4 in a thrilling third-place playoff on Saturday night in Miami.
Naija Brain reports that the Three Lions delivered a dominant first-half performance, racing into a 4-0 lead before the break. Declan Rice opened the scoring, while Ezri Konsa doubled England's advantage. Bukayo Saka then netted twice to give Thomas Tuchel's side complete control heading into halftime.
France responded strongly after the restart as captain Kylian Mbappé scored twice and Bradley Barcola added another to reduce the deficit and revive hopes of a comeback.
However, Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot to restore England's cushion before Jude Bellingham added the sixth goal. Ousmane Dembélé scored a late consolation for France, but it was not enough to prevent England from claiming a deserved 6-4 victory.
The result ensured England ended their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign on a high by finishing third, while France settled for fourth place.
Goalscorers
England: Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa, Bukayo Saka (3), Jude Bellingham.
France: Kylian Mbappé (2), Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembélé.
Mbappé's brace also saw the France captain make World Cup history. The forward increased his tally to 22 goals in 22 World Cup appearances, surpassing Lionel Messi's previous record of 21 goals in 33 matches to become the competition's all-time leading scorer.
With the third-place playoff concluded, attention now turns to the 2026 FIFA World Cup final.
The tournament will conclude on Sunday when Spain face Argentina in the championship match, with both nations aiming to lift football's biggest prize at the first World Cup staged under the expanded 48-team format.