World news and discussion on TalkFuse.
England beat France in ten-goal thriller to win ‘bronze final’
-
3'
Goal Declan RICE (England) scores!!
-
18'
Goal Ezri KONSA (England) scores!!
-
37'
Goal Bukayo SAKA (England) scores!!
-
45'+1'
Goal Bukayo SAKA (England) scores!!
-
48'
Goal Kylian MBAPPE (France) scores!!
-
54'
Goal Bradley BARCOLA (France) scores!!
-
66'
Goal Kylian MBAPPE (France) scores!!
-
90'+6'
Goal Ousmane DEMBELE (France) scores!!
-
90'+8'
Goal Jude BELLINGHAM (England) scores!!
France squad
- Selected
-
2 Malo GUSTO Defender
-
10 Kylian MBAPPE C Forward
-
11 Michael OLISE Forward
-
14 Adrien RABIOT Midfielder
-
15 Ibrahima KONATE Defender
-
16 Mike MAIGNAN Goalkeeper
-
18 Warren ZAIRE-EMERY Midfielder
-
19 Theo HERNANDEZ Defender
-
20 Desire DOUE Forward
-
24 Rayan CHERKI Midfielder
-
26 Maxence Lacroix Defender
-
1 Brice SAMBA Goalkeeper
-
3 Lucas Digne Defender
-
4 Dayot UPAMECANO Defender
-
5 Jules KOUNDE Defender
-
6 Manu KONE Midfielder
-
7 Ousmane DEMBELE Forward
-
8 Aurelien TCHOUAMENI Midfielder
-
9 Marcus THURAM Forward
-
12 Bradley BARCOLA Forward
-
13 Ngolo KANTE Midfielder
-
17 William SALIBA Defender
-
21 Lucas HERNANDEZ Defender
-
22 Jean-Philippe MATETA Forward
-
23 Robin RISSER Goalkeeper
-
25 Maghnes AKLIOUCHE Midfielder
England squad
- Selected
-
2 Ezri KONSA Defender
-
4 Declan RICE C Midfielder
-
6 Marc GUEHI Defender
-
7 Bukayo SAKA Forward
-
11 Marcus RASHFORD Forward
-
13 Dean Henderson Goalkeeper
-
17 Morgan ROGERS Midfielder
-
21 Eberechi EZE Midfielder
-
22 Ivan TONEY Forward
-
25 Djed SPENCE Defender
-
26 Jarell QUANSAH Defender
-
1 Jordan PICKFORD Goalkeeper
-
3 Nico OREILLY Defender
-
5 John STONES Defender
-
8 Elliot ANDERSON Midfielder
-
9 Harry KANE Forward
-
10 Jude BELLINGHAM Midfielder
-
12 Trevoh CHALOBAH Defender
-
14 Jordan HENDERSON Midfielder
-
15 Dan BURN Defender
-
18 Anthony GORDON Forward
-
19 Ollie WATKINS Forward
-
20 Noni MADUEKE Forward
-
23 James TRAFFORD Goalkeeper
-
24 Reece JAMES Defender
- Full squad
-
16 Kobbie MAINOO Midfielder
England won an entertaining third-place play-off match against France with a 6-4 scoreline at the 2026 World Cup. The match featured prolific attacking play, with forward Bukayo Saka netting three goals to lead England's successful campaign. The combined ten-goal tally made for a high-scoring encounter between the two European sides.
The victory represents a notable achievement for England's men's team, marking their strongest World Cup performance in six decades. Having narrowly missed the final, the side secured a bronze medal finish at the tournament, surpassing their previous modern-era standards in the competition.
In short
- England defeated France 6-4 in the World Cup third-place play-off, producing a ten-goal spectacle
- Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick in the victory
- England's result is their best World Cup finish since winning the tournament in 1966
Explained simply
The FIFA World Cup is the world's premier international football tournament, held every four years with national teams competing for the global championship. When the semi-finals conclude, the two losing teams play a third-place match, sometimes called the bronze final, to determine which nation finishes third overall.
England's football team has historically underperformed at the World Cup in recent decades, making any medal finish a noteworthy achievement for the nation. Football holds particular cultural importance in England, with World Cup performances closely followed by the nation's sports enthusiasts.
This tournament featured England and France, two of Europe's strongest football nations who both reached the semi-finals. As neither qualified for the championship final, they were paired against each other to compete for the bronze medal and third-place finish.
Europe Football Sport UK World