England defeated France 6-4 in the third-place match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on July 18, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The match was played in front of a crowd of 82,000 spectators.
England took an early lead through a goal by Harry Kane in the 12th minute. France equalized through Kylian Mbappé in the 28th minute. The first half ended 2-2 after goals from Jude Bellingham (England) and Antoine Griezmann (France).
In the second half, England scored three quick goals through Bukayo Saka (52nd minute), Phil Foden (58th minute), and Marcus Rashford (63rd minute) to take a 5-2 lead. France responded with goals from Olivier Giroud (71st minute) and Kingsley Coman (78th minute) to make it 5-4. England's sixth goal came from a penalty converted by Harry Kane in the 85th minute after a foul on Raheem Sterling.
The victory gave England their best World Cup finish since 1966, when they won the tournament. France, the defending champions from 2018, finished fourth. The match was notable for its high scoring and dramatic swings in momentum.
