Published: July 19, 2026 at 11:27 am
Bukayo Saka struck a sensational hat-trick while Jude Bellingham scored twice as England edged France 6-4 in one of the greatest matches in FIFA World Cup history to secure third place at the 2026 edition.
In a breathtaking contest that featured 10 goals, dramatic momentum swings and moments of individual brilliance, Thomas Tuchel’s side survived a stirring French comeback before sealing victory with two late goals.
England’s Declan Rice required only 134 seconds to score England’s second-fastest goal in the World Cup. Pics: FIFA
England made the perfect start, taking the lead inside three minutes through stand-in captain Declan Rice. Intercepting a loose pass from Désiré Doué near the halfway line, Rice drove forward before curling a superb strike into the bottom-right corner from 25 yards to leave Mike Maignan with no chance.
Rice strikes first
Declan Rice required only 134 seconds to score England’s second-fastest goal in the World Cup. Fellow midfielder Bryan Robson netted after 28 seconds – coincidentally against France – in 1982.
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The Three Lions continued to dominate proceedings and almost doubled their lead through Saka, whose effort was ruled out for offside after Marcus Rashford had earlier tested the French defence.
Bukayo Saka struck a sensational hat-trick as England got the better of France 6-4 in a thriller
England’s pressure eventually paid off in the 18th minute when Rice’s inswinging corner found Ezri Konsa, who rose highest to power a header beyond Maignan for a commanding 2-0 advantage.
France struggled to cope with England’s pace in transition despite occasional glimpses of danger through Kylian Mbappé, who was repeatedly denied by Dean Henderson and the England defence.
Saka begins his conquest
At the other end, Rashford continued to torment Les Bleus, forcing Maignan into a fine save before combining brilliantly with Saka in the 37th minute. Rashford’s initial effort was saved, but he selflessly squared the rebound for Saka to smash home England’s third.
Deep into first-half stoppage time, Eberechi Eze released Saka on the edge of the area, and the Arsenal winger calmly picked out the bottom corner to send England into the break with a stunning 4-0 lead.
Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham starred in England’s third place finish
Didier Deschamps’ side emerged transformed after half-time and sparked hopes of an unlikely comeback almost immediately. Upamecano won possession before Michael Olise threaded an excellent pass into Mbappé, who calmly finished to pull one back three minutes into the second half. Just six minutes later, Mbappé turned provider, releasing Bradley Barcola, who raced clear before firing past Henderson to reduce the deficit to 4-2.
Mbappe surpasses Messi’s 21 goals
France continued to pour forward and were rewarded again in the 66th minute with a move of genuine quality. Olise cleverly flicked the ball into Mbappé’s path and the France captain controlled superbly before firing beyond Henderson to make it 4-3.
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The goal saw Mbappé become the outright leading goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history – surpassing Lionel Messi’s tally of 21 goals, while Olise registered his second assist of the afternoon.
Olise took his assists’ tally at these global finals to seven. It is the most ever registered, records began in 1966, in a World Cup, with Pele providing six for Brazil in 1970.
Mbappe has hit 10 goals in eight outings in North America. The only men with more in a World Cup are Sandor Kocsis with 11 for Hungary in 1954 and Just Fontaine with 13 for France in 1958.
With momentum firmly on France’s side, England needed a response and found it in the 85th minute when Malo Gusto brought down Djed Spence inside the penalty area. Saka confidently converted from the spot two minutes later to complete his hat-trick and restore England’s two-goal cushion.
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The drama was far from over. Ousmane Dembélé struck in the sixth minute of stoppage time after another Upamecano interception reignited French hopes, but England had the final say almost immediately.
Bellingham has the final say
Deep into added time, Bellingham weaved past three defenders inside the box before calmly slotting home England’s sixth goal, capping a magnificent individual display and taking his tally to seven goals at the tournament – the most ever scored by an England player in a single FIFA World Cup.
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The victory secured England’s best FIFA World Cup finish since lifting the trophy in 1966 and provided Tuchel’s side with a memorable end to their campaign. For France, it marked a heartbreaking conclusion to Didier Deschamps’ tenure as head coach despite a spirited second-half fightback that briefly threatened one of the greatest comebacks in World Cup history.
It was England’s best finish at the global finals since they triumphed on home soil in 1966 and brought to an end Didier Deschamps’ successful reign as France coach.
We played a disgraceful first half: Deschamps
“It’s a loss. We were down 4-0; we played a disgraceful first half. We did show some fight, though, and there were things we did well. We had two chances to tie it up at 4-4, and after that, we pushed forward a little more… We did what we know how to do. It’s my fault; I must not have done what was needed in the first half… At least it looked like something, even if the loss hurts. Obviously, it would have been better to finish third,” said France coach Deschamps.
“We came here with a lot of ambition. We managed to do quite a few positive things. We fell short in our match against Spain. It’s not all a total loss. We have a quality squad, young players who will continue to move up the ranks. We had the talent to keep achieving very good results. On a personal level, it’s been a truly wonderful journey with them. We spent eight weeks together since the start of our preparations. It was wonderful. The disappointment lies in the sporting aspect, but we had the opportunity to stir up emotions, and millions of French people were able to experience those emotions. It’s the World Cup—there’s nothing more beautiful than that,” he added.
