Saka's Hat-Trick Guides England to Beat France 6-4 and Claim Third Place at the 2026 World Cup.

England national team finally concluded their 2026 World Cup campaign on a high note, securing third place after defeating France 6-4 in the third-place playoff match held at Miami Stadium, United States on Sunday, 19 July 2026.

The match was fiercely contested and produced a total of 10 goals. The Three Lions delivered an exceptional first half performance to build an unanswered four-goal lead, before successfully weathering Les Bleus' second half resurgence.

This result marks a historic milestone for England. Having fallen short in third place playoff fixtures at the 1990 and 2018 World Cup editions, they finally claimed victory on their third attempt.

Meanwhile, despite settling for fourth position, France still exited the tournament with positive achievements. Kylian Mbappé further strengthened his chances of winning the Golden Boot award, while Michael Olise broke Pelé's long-standing record for the most assists in a single World Cup tournament with a final tally of seven assists.

England Run Riot in the First Half

England took control of the match right from kickoff. Just three minutes into play, Declan Rice dispossessed a French player, carried the ball forward to the edge of the penalty area, before firing a powerful strike into the right corner of Mike Maignan's goal. This early goal put England ahead 1-0.

France attempted to respond six minutes later through Rayan Cherki. However, his left-footed shot from outside the penalty box was safely collected by Dean Henderson.

Bukayo Saka found the net in the 11th minute, but the referee disallowed the goal after the winger was judged to have been in an offside position.

England extended their lead to 2-0 in the 18th minute. From a corner kick, Ezri Konsa won an aerial duel against Adrien Rabiot before heading the ball past Maignan.

Kylian Mbappé repeatedly tested England's defence. His clearest opportunity arrived in the 33rd minute, when he cut inside from the left flank and unleashed a fierce shot from inside the penalty area, only for Henderson to pull off another sharp save.

As France pushed to narrow the deficit, England struck again in the 37th minute. A rapid counter-attack built by Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka left Les Bleus' backline overwhelmed. After two initial efforts were blocked, Rashford laid the ball off to Saka who tapped it easily into the unguarded goal.

Shortly before half time, Saka added his name to the scoresheet once more. Running onto a through pass, the Arsenal winger beat Maignan to give England a dominant 4-0 lead at the break.

France Fight Back, England Seal Victory

Entering the second half, France's head coach made substitutions, bringing on Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola. These changes immediately produced a positive impact.

In the 48th minute, Kylian Mbappé pulled one goal back for France, finishing off a through ball inside the penalty area.

Eight minutes later, Barcola got on the scoresheet after receiving a perfectly weighted pass from Mbappé, bringing the score to 4-2.

Mbappé demonstrated his world class quality once again in the 66th minute. After playing a neat one-two with Michael Olise, the Real Madrid striker scored his second goal of the night to bring France within one goal at 4-3.

France's comeback momentum appeared to threaten England, but The Three Lions were awarded a penalty in the 87th minute after Djed Spence was fouled inside the box.

Bukayo Saka stepped up to take the spot kick and converted it perfectly. This goal completed the winger's hat-trick, restoring England's two goal cushion at 5-3.

France refused to surrender. Ousmane Dembélé scored in the 6th minute of stoppage time to cut the deficit once more, making the score 5-4.

However, England sealed their victory just two minutes later. Jude Bellingham calmly finished off another fast counter attack to make the final score 6-4.

The scoreline remained unchanged until the final whistle. England officially claimed third place at the 2026 World Cup, while France ended the tournament in fourth position despite mounting a ferocious fightback in the second half.