England secures first World Cup podium since 1966 with 6-4 win over France; Deschamps bids farewell
England defeated France 6-4 in Miami Gardens to claim third place at the 2026 World Cup, their first podium finish since winning the tournament in 1966. The match was Didier Deschamps' last as France coach after 14 years.
England storms to 4-0 lead
England needed only 135 seconds to open the scoring when Declan Rice intercepted a pass and beat Mike Maignan from 20 metres. Ezri Konsa headed in a Rice corner to make it 2-0 in the 18th minute, and Bukayo Saka added two more before half-time (37' and 45+1') to put Thomas Tuchel's side 4-0 up. France, fielding a heavily rotated lineup, looked shell-shocked.
- Declan Rice opens scoring for England
- Ezri Konsa heads in second from Rice corner
- Bukayo Saka makes it 3-0
- Saka scores again, England 4-0 at half-time
- Kylian Mbappe pulls one back for France
- Bradley Barcola reduces deficit to 4-2
- Mbappe scores his second, France trail 4-3
- Saka completes hat-trick from penalty spot
- Ousmane Dembele scores for France
- Jude Bellingham seals 6-4 win for England
France fights back in second half
Didier Deschamps made four substitutions at the break, and the match turned. Kylian Mbappe pulled one back in the 48th minute, his ninth goal of the tournament, moving him ahead of Lionel Messi as the World Cup's all-time top scorer. Bradley Barcola made it 4-2 six minutes later, and Mbappe struck again in the 66th to cut the deficit to a single goal. France had two chances to equalise at 4-4 but could not convert.
Saka seals it, Bellingham adds gloss
England regained control when Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot in the 87th minute. Ousmane Dembele scored deep into stoppage time (90+6') for France, but Jude Bellingham, on as a substitute, netted England's sixth in the 90+8th minute to end the 10-goal spectacle. The 64,478 crowd at Hard Rock Stadium witnessed the highest-scoring match of the tournament.
Deschamps says goodbye after 14 years
The defeat marked the end of Deschamps' 14-year tenure as France manager. He won the 2018 World Cup and lost the 2022 final on penalties, becoming one of only three men to lift the trophy as both player and captain. After the match, he told M6 television, with tears in his eyes:
Of course, it's a defeat. We had a terrible first half. Then we responded well. At 4-4 we had two chances to equalise. Unfortunately, it's my fault. In the first half I didn't do what was needed.
He praised his squad's young talent and called the experience "beautiful on a personal level." Zinedine Zidane is widely expected to succeed him.
Mbappe sets scoring record
Mbappe's double took his World Cup tally to 10 goals, surpassing Messi's record. The France captain admitted the team was "completely stunned" in the first half but transformed after the break.
We became world-class players again, mental machines devoid of emotion, and we won the second half. This match does not erase the legend of Didier Deschamps.
He added that he would rather have been playing in the final than holding the scoring record.
- Bukayo Saka
- 3 goals
- Kylian Mbappe
- 2 goals
- Declan Rice
- 1 goals
- Ezri Konsa
- 1 goals
- Bradley Barcola
- 1 goals
- Ousmane Dembele
- 1 goals
- Jude Bellingham
- 1 goals
Tuchel's future remains debated
England's first podium since 1966 did not silence the debate over Tuchel's position. He was booed by England supporters before kick-off following the semi-final loss to Argentina. British media were split. The Daily Mail Sport wrote:
For Tuchel, this absurdly bipolar victory will be a justification, silencing the whistles that tarnished his name before kick-off and the chorus of criticism that has accompanied him since Wednesday's semi-final defeat to Argentina. He recorded England's best World Cup finish since 1966.
SkySports suggested the win could give Tuchel a chance to lead England at the home European Championship in 2028, where he might face a France side coached by Zidane.
