In a frantic match, England defeated France 6-4 and secured the bronze medal at the 2026 World Cup

Before the grand final between Argentina and Spain, the third place had to be confirmed, and what a definition it left. In a very changing and dynamic match, England defeated France 6-4 to take home the bronze of the 2026 World Cup. This goal-filled result (10) broke the record for goals in this stage, surpassing the one set by the French against West Germany in Sweden 1958 (6-3; 9), in addition to entering the matches with the most goals in the history of the tournament (5th; the 7-5 [12] of Austria over Switzerland in the 1954 edition is No. 1).

The match would start with a quick blow from the British. In just 2 minutes and some change, Declan Rice with a precise shot from outside the box would score the early 1-0.

Although the French would react and warn shortly after with a shot from Rayan Cherki, saved by Dean Henderson, it would be "The Three Lions" who would score the next goal of the match thanks to Bukayo Saka, however, this would be disallowed for an offside by the Arsenal player himself.

Taking advantage of the fact that their rival was struggling to find their footing in the game, Thomas Tuchel's men would continue pressing in search of a second goal. Fortunately for them, this goal would not take long to arrive, as at the 18th minute, Rice from a corner would assist Ezri Konsa, who with a header would make it 2-0.

After the first cooling break, "Les Blues" would show a bit better than in the first minutes. This situation would cause the match to become a constant back-and-forth between the areas. Among the most dangerous chances would be a shot from Marcus Rashford that Mike Maignan would save at the 32nd and a shot from Kylian Mbappé cleared by Henderson moments later.

In the midst of this intense stretch, England would score not only the 3-0 but also the 4-0. At the 36th, after a series of rebounds in the French area, Saka would shoot at a goal only defended by Theo Hernández for the third, and at the 44th, after an excellent through ball from Eberechi Eze, the very number 7 would net the fourth.

Already in the second half, Deschamps would shake things up to try to reduce the gap, with four changes in a single window. The effect of these changes, combined with the general change in the team's attitude, would be almost immediate. At the 48th, Mbappé would receive a good assist from Michael Olise and make it 4-1, and a few minutes later, the substitute Bradley Barcola would do the same after a great setup from the No. 10 to cut the deficit to two goals.

Clearly with a different demeanor compared to the first half, France would continue with their offensive dominance to go for the epic comeback. In that sense, although they would suffer some approaches from England, they would again reduce the disadvantage. At the 66th, after an exquisite combination of passes, Mbappé would beat Henderson to score his double and make it 4-3.

Despite being closer to the fourth than their opponent to the fifth, "Les Blues" would receive the worst possible news: a penalty against them. At the 84th, the substitute Malo Gusto would bring down Djed Spence in the area and the referee would not hesitate to call the penalty. The one in charge of executing it would be Saka, who would not disappoint to score his personal hat-trick and make it 5-3.

The fifth English goal seemed to be the final nail for a tired French team, however, they would not give up. At the 94th, the substitute Ousmane Dembélé would receive a long pass from the also-substituted Dayot Upamecano to make it 5-4.

Despite still having a few minutes to dream of the equalizer, at the 97th, the substitute Jude Bellingham would make a great individual play and score the final 6-4.

With this result, England managed to win a match for the third place in World Cups for the first time. Previously, they had played it twice, in Italy '90 and Russia 2018, but in both occasions they lost to their opponent.