England Finishes Third, Crushing France 6-4 in World Cup Playoff

England concluded their 2026 World Cup campaign on a high note, thrashing France 6-4 in the third-place playoff. This decisive victory offered a positive finish for the squad managed by Thomas Tuchel, helping to soothe the disappointment of their semifinal loss to Argentina.

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England continued to dominate the game from the start when Declan Rice opened the scoring before Ezri Konsa doubled the lead.

The Three Lions dominated the early stages of the match. Declan Rice opened the scoring, followed by a second goal from Ezri Konsa. Bukayo Saka then stole the spotlight with two goals, propelling England to a comfortable 4-0 lead by halftime. France's defense, which had been solid throughout the tournament, conceded as many goals in the first half as they had in their previous seven games combined.

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Bukayo Saka then stole the spotlight with two goals to allow England to lead comfortably 4-0 at halftime.

France attempted a comeback in the second half, with Kylian Mbappé scoring twice and Bradley Barcola adding another goal. However, their resurgence was not enough to alter the outcome. Saka completed his hat-trick with a penalty in the 87th minute, and Ousmane Dembélé scored France's fourth goal in injury time. Jude Bellingham then added England's sixth goal to cap off the scoring festival in Miami.

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Although they lost, Mbappe remained the focus when he scored two goals to bring his total to 10 goals in the 2026 World Cup, thus confirming the tournament's Golden Boot title.

Despite the loss, Mbappé's performance was historic. His two goals brought his 2026 World Cup total to 10, securing him the Golden Boot. More significantly, the 27-year-old forward set a new all-time World Cup scoring record with 22 goals, surpassing Lionel Messi. France's Michael Olise also etched his name in the record books with seven assists throughout the tournament, breaking Pelé's 1970 record of six. The defeat also signaled the end of Didier Deschamps' 14-year reign as France's manager, concluding his tenure after 185 matches.

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More sweetly, the 27-year-old striker also made history by accumulating 22 goals throughout his World Cup appearances, surpassing Lionel Messi as the all-time top scorer of this prestigious tournament.