England, the birthplace of football, defeated France after a shootout that produced 10 goals, finishing the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America in third place.
England won 6-4 in the third-place match against France held at Miami Stadium in Miami, Florida, on the 19th (Korea time). The 10 goals combined by both teams set a record for the most goals in a World Cup third-place match. The previous record was nine goals, scored in the third-place match between France and West Germany at the 1958 Sweden tournament (France won 6-3).
England, which had suffered a come-from-behind loss to Argentina in the semifinals and failed to reach the final, claimed third place at a World Cup for the first time with this victory. It marks the country's best result since winning the home tournament in 1966. France, meanwhile, which had failed to reach a third consecutive final after being stopped by Spain, also lost the third-place match, finishing the tournament with two straight defeats.
England seized the initiative just three minutes into the match with a long-range shot from Declan Rice. In the 18th minute, Ezri Konsa headed home a corner kick from Rice, and in the 37th minute and in stoppage time, Bukayo Saka scored consecutive goals to end the first half 4-0.
In the second half, France's counterattack was fierce. Having brought on Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele, France began its comeback with a goal from Kylian Mbappe in the third minute of the second half, followed by a goal from Barcola in the ninth minute and another from Mbappe in the 21st minute, quickly narrowing the gap to 4-3. Mbappe also assisted Barcola's goal, recording two goals and one assist on the day.
But England did not waver. In the 42nd minute of the second half, Saka converted a penalty kick won by Jed Spence to complete his hat-trick and restore the two-goal lead. France pulled one back again with a goal from Dembele in second-half stoppage time, but just before the final whistle, Jude Bellingham scored the clinching goal to put an end to the contest. Bellingham recorded his seventh goal of the tournament, overtaking Harry Kane (six goals) to become England's top scorer.
Even in defeat, Mbappe made new history. With his brace on the day, he reached 10 goals in the tournament, becoming the first player to reach double digits in a single tournament in 56 years, since Gerd Muller (of the former West Germany) at the 1970 Mexico World Cup. He also recorded 22 career World Cup goals, surpassing Lionel Messi (21 goals) to stand alone as the all-time top scorer in World Cup history. In addition, if Messi, who still has the final to play, fails to add to his tally, Mbappe will become the first player in World Cup history to win the Golden Boot in two consecutive tournaments.
