By Amaechi Agbo

England on Saturday secured the bronze medal at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after defeating arch-rivals France 6-4 in a historic, ten-goal third-place thriller.

Thomas Tuchel’s side shook off their semifinal heartbreak to orchestrate a breathtaking attacking display at Miami Stadium going 4 goals in half time but survived a fierce second-half French comeback to claim the nation’s best World Cup finish since 1966.

Despite heavy squad rotation that saw stars Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham start on the bench, England flew out of the blocks. Captain Declan Rice ignited the scoring in just the third minute, drilling a long-range stunner past Brice Samba. England doubled their advantage in the 18th minute when Rice turned provider, swinging in a corner for defender Ezri Konsa to head home his first career World Cup goal.

With the French defense completely at sixes and sevens, Bukayo Saka took full control. The Arsenal winger capitalised on catastrophic French defending to slot home his first in the 37th minute, before sending England into a commanding 4-0 lead at the stroke of halftime with a ruthless left-footed strike.

Refusing to go down without a fight, Didier Deschamps made a drastic four-player substitution at halftime, and Les Bleus instantly responded. Kylian Mbappé led the charge, striking just three minutes after the restart to put France on the board. In doing so, Mbappé moved clear of Lionel Messi to become the all-time leading goalscorer in men’s World Cup history.

Moments later, substitute Bradley Barcola swept in a clinical second, and when Mbappé struck again in the 67th minute to secure his brace, England’s massive lead had dramatically evaporated to 4-3.

As tension peaked in Miami, England dug deep to extinguish the French momentum. Saka capped off an unforgettable individual tournament performance by converting a late penalty in the 86th minute, completing his hat-trick and settling nerves on the English bench.

A wild final sequence of goals pushed the scoreline to its record-breaking 6-4 conclusion, ensuring Thomas Tuchel’s side locked down the podium spot and walked away with the tournament’s $29 million bronze prize.

The final of the 2026 World Cup between Spain and Argentina will.on Sunday by 8pm Nigeria time