England faced France in the FIFA World Cup 2026 third-place play-off match in Miami on Saturday (July 18) and secured a thrilling 6-4 victory. The Three Lions scored four goals in the first half and added two more after the break to stun the Kylian Mbappé-led side at Hard Rock Stadium and finish third in this year’s tournament.
Arsenal star Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick for England, while Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa and Jude Bellingham also got on the scoresheet to help the Three Lions secure their second-best finish in FIFA World Cup history.
For France, Mbappé scored a brace in the second half, while PSG stars Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé also found the back of the net. However, their efforts were not enough to prevent defeat.
By scoring
six goals against France in the third-place play-off, England entered their names into the history books. They have become the first team in FIFA World Cup history to score six goals in a single match against France.
Most goals against France in a FIFA World Cup match
| EDITION | OPPOSITION | GOAL | RESULT | VENUE | DATE |
| 2026 | England | 6 | Loss (4-6) | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami | July 18, 2026 |
| 1958 | Brazil | 5 | Loss (2-5) | Råsunda Stadium, Solna | June 24, 1958 |
| 1934 | Austria | 3 | Loss (2-3) | Stadio Benito Mussolini, Turin | May 27, 1934 |
| 1958 | Paraguay | 3 | Win (7-3) | Idrottsparken, Norrköping | June 8, 1958 |
| 1958 | Yugoslavia | 3 | Loss (2-3) | Arosvallen, Västerås | June 11, 1958 |
| 1958 | West Germany | 3 | Win (6-3) | Ullevi, Gothenburg | June 28, 1958 |
| 1982 | West Germany | 3 | 3-3 (lost in penalties) | Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, Seville | July 8, 1982 |
| 1982 | Poland | 3 | Loss (2-3) | Estadio José Rico Pérez, Alicante | July 10, 1982 |
| 2018 | Argentina | 3 | Win (4-3) | Kazan Arena, Kazan | June 30, 2018 |
| 2022 | Argentina | 3 | 3-3 (lost in penalties) | Lusail Stadium, Lusail | December 18, 2022 |
The previous record for the most goals scored against France in a FIFA World Cup match was held by Brazil. In the semifinal of the 1958 FIFA World Cup, Brazil scored five goals against Les Bleus to secure a 5-2 victory.
Mbappé creates history
In the match against England, France captain Mbappé scored two goals in the second half. The brace helped him extend his tally to 22 goals in 22 FIFA World Cup matches for France. The 27-year-old now tops the list of players with the most goals in FIFA World Cup history, moving past Lionel Messi’s tally of 21 goals.
Messi, who will lead Argentina in the FIFA World Cup 2026 final against Spain on Sunday (July 19) at New York New Jersey Stadium, has scored 21 goals in 33 FIFA World Cup matches so far.
Most goals in FIFA World Cup
| RANK | PLAYER | COUNTRY | GOALS | MATCHES | EDITIONS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kylian Mbappé | France | 22* | 22* | 2018, 2022, 2026 |
| 2 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 21 | 33 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 |
| 3 | Miroslav Klose | Germany | 16 | 24 | 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| 4 | Ronaldo | Brazil | 15 | 19 | 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006 |
| 5 | Gerd Müller | West Germany | 14 | 13 | 1970, 1974 |
| Harry Kane | England | 14 | 18 | 2018, 2022, 2026 | |
| 7 | Just Fontaine | France | 13 | 6 | 1958 |
| 8 | Pelé | Brazil | 12 | 14 | 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 |
| 9 | Sándor Kocsis | Hungary | 11 | 5 | 1954 |
| Jürgen Klinsmann | West Germany | 11 | 17 | 1990, 1994, 1998 | |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 11 | 27 | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 |
In the ongoing edition of the FIFA World Cup, Mbappé finished with 10 goals and four assists in eight matches for France.
He currently leads the Golden Boot race and has scored two more goals than Messi, who has eight goals in seven matches.
Most goals in FIFA World Cup 2026
| PLAYER | COUNTRY | GOALS | ASSISTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kylian Mbappe | France | 10* | 4* |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 8 | 4 |
| Jude Bellingham | England | 7* | 1 |
| Erling Haaland | Norway | 7 | 0 |
| Ousmane Dembele | France | 6* | 2 |
| Harry Kane | England | 6 | 1 |
| Mikel Oyarzabal | Spain | 5 | 1 |
| Ismaila Sarr | Senegal | 4 | 1 |
| Julian Quinones | Mexico | 4 | 1 |
| Vinicius Junior | Brazil | 4 | 1 |
If Messi fails to score at least two goals against Spain in the final, Mbappé will become the first player in history to win the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot award in back-to-back editions.
