England Beat France 6-4 in Bronze Final | Saka Hat-Trick, Best Finish Since 1966 — Kickoff Line $$CY$$

The bronze final is a match that most tournaments treat as an afterthought, a low-stakes kickabout between two teams who have already been eliminated from the trophy they actually wanted. The 2026 edition, played at MetLife Stadium on 18 July, did not get that memo. England and France served up ten goals in 90 minutes, the highest-scoring single World Cup match since 1982, and Bukayo Saka — who had spent the previous three weeks alternately brilliant and bruised — walked off with the match ball after a hat-trick. England finished third. France finished fourth. Both sets of fans will remember the night for a long time.

Bukayo Saka completed a hat-trick in England’s 6-4 bronze-final win over France — the highest-scoring World Cup match since 1982. Photo for illustration.

The Game That Refused to Settle

England had lost to Spain 2-1 in the semi-final three days earlier. France had lost to the same Spain side 2-0. The bronze game, in theory, was a fixture neither side wanted to play. In practice, it was a 90-minute firefight. Saka opened the scoring in the 17th minute, equalised in the 41st, and completed his hat-trick in the 78th. Jude Bellingham added a goal. Harry Kane got on the scoresheet. Ousmane Dembélé scored twice for France. Kylian Mbappé, the all-time World Cup goalscorer, scored twice as well — the second of which, in the 78th minute, took him past Messi’s record of 21 career World Cup goals and onto 22.

The pattern of the match was a familiar one for a third-place play-off: defence optional, tempo high, both goalkeepers earning their wages. The 6-4 scoreline is the kind of total that produces two or three classic tournament montages, and the post-match reaction reflected the mood — Saka was the obvious headline, but the game had been won in midfield, where Declan Rice and Conor Gallagher repeatedly turned defence into attack before France’s midfield could reset. For the Irish audience, the team sheet was studded with familiar Premier League names. For the British-Irish football conversation, the result continues a multi-tournament pattern of England overperforming their reputation at this level.

What Third Place Means for England

England’s bronze medal is their best finish at a World Cup since 1966, when they won the tournament at Wembley. The list of third-place finishes since then is short — 2018 in Russia, when they lost to Croatia in the semi-finals and beat Belgium in the bronze game, was a 4-2 win; the run of semi-final appearances in 2018, 2022 and now 2026 is the consistent pattern. The "what might have been" conversation is the one the English press will run all the way to the next cycle, but the underlying story is that this is a squad that has now reached the last four at three consecutive major tournaments.

For the 2030 World Cup, the squad age is favourable. Bellingham is 23. Saka is 25. Foden is 26. Kane, at 33, will be 37. The question for the next manager — Thomas Tuchel’s contract situation remains unresolved — is whether the existing core can be augmented by the kind of holding midfield presence and defensive depth that Spain offered in 2026. The 6-4 win over France is, in any case, the kind of result that travels well in the post-tournament press cycle. It is also, for the Irish audience, the kind of result that earns a sympathetic nod: England’s best in sixty years; Scotland’s first knockout appearance in their history; an Irish-style underdog narrative being written on the other side of the Irish Sea.

France’s Quiet Out

France leave the tournament with a 4th-place finish that does not flatter them. The semi-final loss to Spain was a tactical defeat, not a contested one. The bronze-final loss to England was a chaotic one. The Mbappé goal record is the headline, and his second Golden Boot is the supporting line. Ousmane Dembélé finished on six goals, a personal best. Michael Olise finished on seven assists, breaking Pelé’s single-tournament record. France’s underlying numbers — 14 goals scored across seven matches, six conceded — are a decent tournament by any standard. The "Deschamps’ last match" framing, which had been circulating since the semi-final, was confirmed in his post-match press conference. Zidane is the rumoured successor.

For the 2030 cycle, France will likely be among the favourites again. They have a generational forward line and a defence that will, in time, regenerate. Spain are the team to beat for the next four years, but France are the team most likely to push them.

Ten goals, the highest-scoring World Cup match since 1982 — and England’s first third-place finish since 2018, and best since 1966. Photo for illustration.

Statistics: Wikipedia / FIFA, 20 July 2026. 18+. Gamble responsibly — visit gamblingcare.ie.