France 4–6 England — Third-place play-off, Match 103
England beat France 6–4 in Match 103 of the World Cup 2026 third-place play-off at Miami Stadium, Miami Gardens on July 18, 2026. England finished third — their best World Cup finish since 1966 — and France fourth.
How the tie was set up
The third-place play-off brought together the two beaten semi-finalists: France, who lost 0–2 to Spain in the first semi-final in Arlington on July 14, and England, beaten 2–1 by Argentina in the second semi-final in Atlanta on July 15. It was played at Miami Stadium a week after England's extra-time quarter-final win over Norway at the same venue, and the day before the final at MetLife Stadium.
How they got here
- France — Won Group I, then beat Sweden 3–0 in the Round of 32, Paraguay 1–0 in the Round of 16 and Morocco 2–0 in the quarter-finals before losing 0–2 to Spain in the semi-final (Match 101).
- England — Won Group L, then beat DR Congo 2–1 in the Round of 32, Mexico 3–2 in the Round of 16 and Norway 2–1 after extra time in the quarter-finals before losing 1–2 to Argentina in the semi-final (Match 102).
Result and recap
England 6, France 4. England led 4–0 at half-time: Declan Rice curled in from distance in the 3rd minute, Ezri Konsa headed in from a corner in the 18th, and Bukayo Saka scored twice before the break. France hit back after half-time through Kylian Mbappé (48'), Bradley Barcola (54') and Mbappé again (66') to make it 4–3, before Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot in the 87th minute. Ousmane Dembélé pulled one back in stoppage time and Jude Bellingham finished the scoring at 6–4.
The ten goals made it the highest-scoring third-place play-off in World Cup history and the highest-scoring World Cup match since 1982. Mbappé's two goals took him past Lionel Messi as the World Cup's all-time leading scorer.
What it meant
England's third place was their best finish at a World Cup since they won it in 1966; France finished fourth. The next day Spain beat Argentina 1–0 after extra time in the final at MetLife Stadium. See every knockout result.