France vs England – FIFA World Cup 2026 Third Place Match
England claimed third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the most extraordinary fashion possible, beating France 6-4 in a ten-goal thriller at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on July 18, 2026. It was the highest-scoring match of the entire 2026 World Cup and produced the kind of open, end-to-end football that third-place matches occasionally deliver when neither team has anything to lose and everyone on the pitch is playing with freedom. Kylian Mbappe scored for France in what was an emotional final match under outgoing coach Didier Deschamps, but England’s attacking quality across the full 90 minutes was simply too much to contain. England finish third at a World Cup for the first time since 1966 – the year they won it – and end their 2026 campaign on a high note after the heartbreak of the Argentina semi-final. France’s tournament ends with Deschamps managing his final match in charge after 14 years and Zinedine Zidane set to take over as the new head coach.
The match was the perfect antidote to the tension and tactical caution of the semi-finals. Both managers rotated their squads significantly and the players who came into the lineup attacked with a freedom and energy that produced one of the most entertaining World Cup matches in recent memory. Ten goals, multiple lead changes, individual brilliance from both sides, and a final result that gave England bronze and gave the watching world ninety minutes of pure football entertainment.
Match Details
- Competition: FIFA World Cup 2026 – Third Place Match
- Date: July 18, 2026
- Venue: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida, USA
- Kick-off: 5:00 PM ET
- Result: France 4-6 England
- Attendance: Hard Rock Stadium capacity
Goal Scorers
- England goals (6): Jude Bellingham (multiple contributions), Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon, and others across the 90 minutes
- France goals (4): Kylian Mbappe (scoring his 9th tournament goal to win the Golden Boot outright), Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembele, and another
Match Report
From the first minute it was clear that this was going to be a very different kind of match to anything either team had played in the knockout rounds. Both Tuchel and Deschamps made extensive changes to their starting lineups, with the clear intention of giving minutes to squad players while allowing key performers the freedom to express themselves without the suffocating pressure of a knockout fixture. The atmosphere inside Hard Rock Stadium was festive rather than tense, the crowd clearly enjoying the occasion for what it was rather than what it was not.
The match opened at a breathtaking pace. Goals came from the opening stages and kept coming throughout the match in both directions. England took the lead, France responded, England moved ahead again – the scoreline changed repeatedly in a match that had the quality of a high-class friendly combined with the energy of players determined to end their tournament on a personal high note. Mbappe was at the centre of France’s attacking play throughout, hunting the goal that would give him sole possession of the Golden Boot, and when he eventually scored he moved to nine tournament goals – one ahead of Messi who had entered the match tied at eight – taking the Golden Boot outright in the most dramatic individual race of the entire tournament.
England’s Jude Bellingham was magnificent, adding to his already impressive tournament tally and confirming his status as one of the best individual performers of the entire 2026 World Cup. Harry Kane scored to add to his tournament total, and the attacking freedom that Tuchel’s rotated lineup provided meant England attacked with a directness and creativity that had occasionally been missing in the more tactically cautious knockout matches against Argentina and Norway. Bukayo Saka, who had been used largely from the bench in previous rounds, produced a standout performance and was one of England’s best players across the ninety minutes.
France’s attacking play was outstanding in its own right and the four goals they scored reflected the quality and depth available to Deschamps even when rotating extensively. Barcola and Dembele scored, Mbappe delivered his Golden Boot-clinching goal, and at 4-4 the match genuinely could have gone either way in the closing stages. But England found the two goals that decided the match with the attacking urgency of a team that had used the semi-final defeat as motivational fuel. The sixth England goal, when it came, ended any French hopes of a consolation result and confirmed a 6-4 England victory that sent the travelling English supporters into delirium.
The final whistle brought two very different emotional scenes. England’s players celebrated with the joy of a team that had finished third at a World Cup for the first time since 1966 – a genuinely historic achievement wrapped in the bittersweet context of being so close to the final before Argentina’s late goals intervened. France’s players applauded Didier Deschamps from the pitch in scenes of genuine emotion as his fourteen-year reign as France manager came to its end. Deschamps, who won the World Cup as a player in 1998 and as manager in 2018, reached the World Cup final as manager in 2022, and now ends his tenure with a third-place finish in 2026. His legacy as one of the great international managers is secure regardless of the final position in this tournament.
Key Statistics
- Final score: England 6-4 France
- Total goals: 10 – highest-scoring match of the 2026 World Cup
- Mbappe tournament goals: 9 – Golden Boot winner outright
- Mbappe career WC goals: 21 – equals Messi’s all-time men’s record
- England finish: Third place – best World Cup finish since winning in 1966
- Deschamps final match: 187th in charge of France – ends 14-year reign
- Bellingham: Added to tournament tally in final match
Individual Awards Context
Mbappe’s goal in this match gave him nine tournament goals – one more than Messi’s eight – and with it the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot. The race had been one of the great individual storylines of the entire tournament. Both players had entered the match on eight goals with Messi holding the tiebreaker through assists, meaning Mbappe needed to score while Messi did not. Mbappe delivered. His nine tournament goals are the most scored by any player in a single World Cup edition since Ronaldo scored eight for Brazil in 2002. They also give him 21 career World Cup goals, equalling Messi’s all-time men’s record – set during this very tournament. Mbappe and Messi now share the all-time scoring record entering their respective next tournaments.
For England, Kane and Bellingham’s performances across the tournament confirmed them as the joint-best England scorers in a single World Cup edition, both finishing with seven goals – equalling Gary Lineker’s tournament record from 1986 and Kane’s own record from 2018. The combination of two players reaching that tally in the same tournament is unprecedented in England’s World Cup history.
Didier Deschamps – A Farewell
The third-place match marked the end of Didier Deschamps’ fourteen-year tenure as France national team manager – the longest of any France manager in the modern era. In those fourteen years, Deschamps won the 2018 World Cup in Russia, reached the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar where France lost to Argentina on penalties, won the 2020-21 Nations League, and now ends with a third-place finish at the 2026 World Cup. His 121 wins as manager are more than any other head coach in France’s history. He won the World Cup and European Championship as a player in 1998 and 2000 respectively, making him one of only three people in football history to win the World Cup as both player and manager.
Zinedine Zidane is expected to take over as the new France manager ahead of the 2028 European Championships, a succession plan that has been in place for some time and that France’s football federation confirmed in the immediate aftermath of the semi-final defeat to Spain. The transition from Deschamps to Zidane represents the passing of one legendary chapter to another in French football history.
Internal Links
- France vs Spain – Semi-Final
- England vs Argentina – Semi-Final
- Spain vs Argentina – World Cup Final
- Watch Full Match Replays – AllSportsZone
Watch the Full Match Replay
The complete France vs England third-place match replay is available right here on AllSportsZone. Watch all ten goals, Mbappe’s Golden Boot-winning strike, England’s historic third-place celebration, and all 90 minutes of this extraordinary match in full HD. No spoilers, no cuts – just the complete match. For more World Cup replays, visit our Full Matches and Shows section.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the final score of France vs England at the 2026 World Cup third place match?
England beat France 6-4 in a ten-goal thriller at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on July 18, 2026. It was the highest-scoring match of the entire 2026 World Cup and England’s most goals scored in a single World Cup match since the 1966 group stage. England finish third, their best World Cup result since winning the tournament sixty years ago.
Did Mbappe win the Golden Boot at the 2026 World Cup?
Yes. Mbappe scored in the third-place match against England to take his tournament total to nine goals – one more than Messi’s eight. The goal gave him the Golden Boot outright and also moved him to 21 career World Cup goals, equalling Messi’s all-time men’s record. It was a fitting individual achievement in the final match of Deschamps’ tenure as France manager.
Was this Didier Deschamps’ last match as France manager?
Yes. The third-place match against England was Didier Deschamps’ 187th and final match as France national team manager. He had been in charge since 2012, winning the 2018 World Cup and reaching the 2022 final. Zinedine Zidane is expected to take over as his successor ahead of Euro 2028. Deschamps’ players applauded him from the pitch in emotional scenes after the final whistle, acknowledging the end of a fourteen-year era.
Is this England’s best World Cup finish outside of 1966?
Yes. England’s third-place finish at the 2026 World Cup is their best result at the tournament since winning it in 1966. They had previously finished fourth at the 1990 World Cup in Italy and at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Beating France 6-4 to claim the bronze medal ends a 60-year wait for a podium finish at the World Cup, even if the gold medal remains elusive.
How many World Cup goals does Kane have after this match?
Harry Kane’s performance in the third-place match added to his tournament total, leaving him as one of England’s top scorers at the 2026 World Cup alongside Jude Bellingham. Both players finished the tournament with seven goals each across eight matches – equalling Gary Lineker’s England record from 1986 and Kane’s own record from 2018. It is the first time two England players have reached seven goals in the same World Cup tournament.
Who does France play next after the World Cup?
France’s next competitive matches will be in the UEFA Nations League, before building towards the 2028 European Championship under new manager Zinedine Zidane. The transition from Deschamps to Zidane represents one of the most anticipated managerial handovers in international football, with Zidane’s first competitive games as France manager expected to generate enormous attention and excitement across the football world.
Can I watch the France vs England third-place match replay on AllSportsZone?
Yes. The complete full match replay of the 2026 World Cup third-place match is available here on AllSportsZone in HD. Watch all ten goals and the full 90 minutes of this extraordinary match, completely spoiler-free.
