England Beats France 6-4 in World Cup Bronze Final as Saka Scores Hat-Trick and Bellingham's Late Goal

MIAMI — England defeated France 6-4 in a stunning third-place playoff Friday, with Bukayo Saka scoring a hat-trick and Jude Bellingham netting a dramatic goal with the last kick of the match to secure the bronze medal in one of the most entertaining games of the entire 2026 World Cup.

The match, played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, saw England race to an early lead before France stormed back in the second half, only for Bellingham to deliver a stoppage-time winner that capped an extraordinary end-to-end contest. Declan Rice opened the scoring for England in the third minute, with Ezri Konsa adding a second in the 18th. Saka then struck twice before halftime, in the 37th and 46th minutes, putting England firmly in control. But France responded with a wave of second-half goals, with Kylian Mbappé scoring in the 48th and 66th minutes, Bradley Barcola adding one in the 54th, and Ousmane Dembélé leveling the match at 4-4 in the 96th minute of stoppage time. Just two minutes later, Saka completed his hat-trick to restore England's lead in the 87th minute before the match's decisive moment: Bellingham, picking up the ball at midfield in the 98th minute, raced toward France's goal, danced past several defenders inside the box, and slotted home the winner with the very last kick of the game.

The result marked one of the more chaotic and high-scoring matches of the tournament, with commentators covering the game describing it as an all-time classic. According to Al Jazeera's live coverage of the match, England were magnificent in the first half while France were subdued, before the roles reversed entirely after the break, with France turning electric and England struggling defensively, setting up the frantic finish that ultimately swung back in England's favor.

The victory offered a measure of consolation for England following its gut-wrenching semifinal defeat to Argentina earlier in the tournament, a match the Three Lions lost 2-1 after conceding twice in the closing minutes. England manager Thomas Tuchel made a notable gesture after Friday's match, giving his bronze medal to a member of his backroom staff as a thank-you for her contributions throughout the tournament, a moment captured as the England squad and coaching staff posed for photos on the pitch following the final whistle.

England players took a lap around the stadium after the match to acknowledge the fans who had followed the team across both the United States and Mexico throughout the tournament, a gesture that was warmly received by supporters despite the earlier semifinal heartbreak. Among those taking part was midfielder Jordan Henderson, who played through the tournament's later stages while wearing a large cast on his arm following an injury, though he appeared in good spirits during the postgame celebrations.

For France, the match marked the final appearance of longtime manager Didier Deschamps in charge of the national team. French supporters inside the stadium held up a banner reading "Merci Didier" as Deschamps walked down the tunnel for the last time in his role. Deschamps is one of only three men in history to have won the World Cup as both a player and a head coach, and he departs the position having overseen a record 19 World Cup match victories during his tenure leading Les Bleus.

Friday's result also had significant implications for the tournament's individual Golden Boot race. Mbappé's brace against England pushed his tournament tally to 10 goals, moving him two clear of Argentina's Lionel Messi, who remains on eight goals heading into Sunday's championship final. Jude Bellingham's dramatic late strike moved him into third place in the tournament scoring standings with seven goals. Messi will have one final opportunity to close the gap on Mbappé when Argentina faces Spain in Sunday's World Cup final in New Jersey, though matching Mbappé's tournament-leading total would require a two-goal performance in the championship match itself.

With the third-place playoff now complete, all attention turns to Sunday's final between Argentina and Spain, a matchup billed around the individual duel between Messi and Spain's 19-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal, alongside the broader team stakes of Argentina's bid to become the first nation in more than six decades to win consecutive World Cup titles. Al Jazeera and other outlets covering the tournament indicated they would provide extensive coverage of the buildup to Sunday's final, along with live coverage of the match itself and its aftermath.

Friday's third-place playoff, often viewed as one of the World Cup's less consequential fixtures given that neither team wanted to be playing in it after falling short of the final, instead delivered one of the tournament's most memorable individual performances in Saka's hat-trick, paired with a finish few could have anticipated in Bellingham's last-kick winner. The result offered England a small measure of redemption following its agonizing semifinal exit, while closing out Deschamps' long and decorated tenure as France's head coach with one final, if ultimately unsuccessful, chase for a podium finish.

Both teams will now turn their attention toward the future. England, still searching for its first World Cup title since 1966, will look ahead to the next major tournament cycle with a young core led by Bellingham and Saka. France, meanwhile, enters a period of transition as it prepares to appoint Deschamps' successor following his departure after a tenure that included a World Cup title in 2018 and a runner-up finish in 2022, alongside Friday's ultimately unsuccessful bid for a third-place finish in what proved to be one of the most dramatic matches of the entire 2026 tournament.