Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick as England survived a remarkable second-half comeback from France to claim third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 6-4 victory in Miami.

England ended their World Cup campaign on a high after defeating France in an extraordinary third-place play-off at Miami Stadium.

Thomas Tuchel’s side raced to a commanding four-goal lead before half-time, only for France to launch a dramatic fightback after the interval. Saka eventually completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot before Jude Bellingham scored England’s sixth goal to secure the bronze medal.

The victory gave England their first third-place finish at a men’s World Cup and their best result at a tournament staged outside their home country.

Both managers made seven changes following their respective semi-final defeats, but it was England who responded more positively from the opening whistle.

Declan Rice, captaining England in the absence of Harry Kane, opened the scoring in just the third minute. The midfielder intercepted a loose pass from Désiré Doué before beating Mike Maignan with a composed finish.

France struggled to match England’s early intensity, and the Three Lions soon extended their advantage.

Ezri Konsa rose above Adrien Rabiot to head home from a Rice corner before Saka added England’s third following a rapid counterattack.

Saka then struck again on the verge of half-time after being released by an excellent pass from Eberechi Eze, sending England into the break with a seemingly unassailable 4-0 lead.

France manager Didier Deschamps responded by making four substitutions at half-time, introducing fresh attacking options including Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola.

The changes had an immediate effect.

Kylian Mbappé pulled one back shortly after the restart, finishing from Michael Olise’s through ball after England had lost possession.

Barcola then made it 4-2 before Mbappé scored his second goal of the match following a quick exchange with Olise around the edge of England’s penalty area.

Having appeared completely out of the contest at half-time, France suddenly found themselves within one goal of forcing extra time.

England were struggling to contain Mbappé and Olise, while the French substitutes brought far greater pace and urgency to their attack.

Olise came close to completing the comeback but failed to hit the target after creating space inside the England penalty area.

England eventually restored some breathing room when Saka converted a late penalty to complete his hat-trick and make it 5-3.

Dembélé responded with France’s fourth goal, ensuring the contest remained alive heading into the closing stages.

Bellingham, introduced from the bench, finally ended France’s resistance by scoring England’s sixth goal. It was his seventh goal of the tournament and completed one of the most remarkable matches of the World Cup.

Saka was named player of the match after scoring three times, having remained on the bench throughout England’s semi-final defeat to Argentina.

Mbappé’s two goals took his total for the tournament to 10, making him the first male player to reach double figures at a single World Cup since West Germany’s Gerd Müller in 1970.

The match also marked the end of Deschamps’ 14-year tenure as France manager. The 2018 World Cup-winning coach had been hoping to finish his final tournament with a victory, but France’s disastrous opening half proved too difficult to overcome.

England’s performance provided some consolation following their painful 2-1 semi-final loss to Argentina, in which they conceded twice during the final minutes.

Although the Three Lions fell short of reaching the final, their bronze medal represented the country’s strongest World Cup finish since winning the tournament in 1966.