England defeats France in a goal-fest and wins the World Cup bronze medal

The English national team ended its journey in the 2026 World Cup in third place, after defeating their French counterparts 6-4 in an exciting match that witnessed ten goals, held on Saturday evening at the Miami Stadium in Florida.

Both teams entered the match seeking to finish the tournament positively, after France lost to Spain 2-0 in the semi-final, and England fell to Argentina 2-1 with a late goal.

England started with a strong offensive beginning, taking advantage of the wide spaces in the French defense, and succeeded in scoring four goals during the first half through Bukayo Saka, who scored two goals, along with Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa.

The French team appeared far from their level during the first half of the match, due to the absence of defensive organization and the ease with which English players reached the penalty area.

But France returned strongly during the second half, led by their captain Kylian Mbappé, who scored two goals and contributed to narrowing the gap, while Bradley Barcola added another goal, turning the score from a comfortable English lead of four goals to just a one-goal difference.

The French pressure brought excitement back to the match, amid a clear decline in England’s performance and the "Les Bleus" approaching an equalizer.

However, Saka ended France’s comeback when he completed his personal hat-trick from a penalty kick, before Jude Bellingham scored the sixth goal for the English team from a counterattack in the final minutes.

France added their fourth goal before the final whistle, but time was not enough to complete the comeback, ending the match with England’s 6-4 victory and winning the bronze medal.

Saka stood out as the first star of the match, after scoring three goals and leading the English attack in one of the most goal-rich matches of the tournament.

Bellingham also scored his seventh goal in the tournament, concluding a remarkable individual participation despite England’s failure to reach the final match.

Third place is the best result England has achieved in the World Cup since winning their only title in 1966, after finishing fourth in the 1990 and 2018 editions.

The win gave coach Thomas Tuchel a positive end to a participation that witnessed significant criticism, especially after the team’s decline in the final minutes of the match against Argentina and losing the chance to qualify for the final.

On the other hand, France ended the tournament in fourth place, in the last match for coach Didier Deschamps after a career spanning nearly 14 years at the helm of the technical staff.

Despite the loss, Mbappé continued to enhance his scoring records, raising his tally in the tournament to ten goals, keeping him in a strong position in the competition for the Golden Boot award.

The third-place match was open and offensive, unlike many knockout matches, as both teams made numerous changes and gave opportunities to several players who did not regularly participate during the tournament.

With their win, England left the tournament with a bronze medal and a big victory over one of the strongest teams in the world, while France ended a journey that took them to the semi-finals before two consecutive losses to Spain and England.