England secured third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating France 6–4 in a thrilling bronze-medal encounter at Miami Stadium on Saturday. The Three Lions produced a dominant first-half performance, taking the lead through Declan Rice in the third minute before Ezri Konsa doubled their advantage with a header. Bukayo Saka then scored twice before the interval to give England a commanding 4–0 halftime lead. France returned for the second half with renewed determination and quickly reduced the deficit through Kylian Mbappé. Bradley Barcola added another goal before Mbappé struck again to bring France within one goal at 4–3. According to live match coverage by The Guardian, Saka converted a late penalty to complete his hat-trick and restore England’s two-goal advantage. Ousmane Dembélé scored for France during a dramatic period of stoppage time, but England added another goal before the final whistle to seal an extraordinary 6–4 victory. The result handed England the bronze medal and represented the country’s best World Cup finish since winning the tournament in 1966. France, which had entered the tournament among the favorites, finished fourth after suffering consecutive defeats to Spain in the semifinal and England in the third-place playoff. The match also marked Didier Deschamps’ final appearance as France’s head coach, bringing an end to his long and successful tenure with the national team. Spain and defending champions Argentina will contest the World Cup final on Sunday, July 19, 2026.