England secured the bronze medal at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 6-4 victory over France in the third-place play-off on July 18, 2026. Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick, leading the Three Lions to a dramatic win in a match that featured ten goals.
The game, played at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, saw England take an early lead before France mounted a comeback. Saka's first goal came in the 23rd minute, followed by a second in the 45th minute. France responded with goals from Kylian Mbappé and Antoine Griezmann, but Saka completed his hat-trick in the 67th minute. England's other goals came from Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, while France's additional goals were scored by Olivier Giroud and a late penalty from Mbappé.
This was England's first bronze medal in a World Cup since 1990, and Saka's performance was widely praised. The match was the highest-scoring third-place play-off in World Cup history, surpassing the previous record of 7 goals set in 1958.
