England secured third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating France 6-4 in a dramatic, 10-goal thriller at Miami Stadium.
The Three Lions made a dream start, taking the lead after just three minutes. Declan Rice intercepted a misplaced pass from Désiré Doué, surged forward, and fired a powerful shot past Mike Maignan to score England's earliest goal in a competitive match since the UEFA EURO 2020 final.
England doubled their advantage in the 18th minute when Ezri Konsa climbed above Adrien Rabiot to head home from a cross, leaving Maignan with no chance.
The lead grew to three in the 37th minute after a rapid counterattack. Goalkeeper Dean Henderson's crucial save launched the move before Bukayo Saka converted on the rebound after initial efforts from Marcus Rashford and himself were blocked.
Saka struck again in first-half stoppage time. Eberechi Eze threaded a perfectly timed pass into the winger's path, and Saka calmly slotted the ball into the corner to give England a commanding 4-0 halftime lead.
France responded immediately after the break. Kylian Mbappé scored in the 48th minute before substitute Bradley Barcola finished another swift counterattack six minutes later to reduce the deficit.
Mbappé struck again in the 66th minute following a clever exchange with Michael Olise, cutting England's lead to 4-3 and raising hopes of a remarkable comeback.
England restored their cushion late in the match when Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot in the 87th minute after Djed Spence was fouled by Malo Gusto inside the area.
France refused to surrender, with Ousmane Dembélé scoring in stoppage time to make it 5-4.
However, England had the final word. Deep into added time, Jude Bellingham surged forward from midfield, beat Maxence Lacroix, and finished confidently to seal a memorable 6-4 victory.
The win secured England third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marking the nation's best tournament finish since lifting the trophy in 1966, while France ended the competition in fourth place.
