England edge stunning 6-4 thriller over France to claim World Cup bronze

England claimed third place at the 2026 World Cup after a remarkable 6-4 victory over France in Miami, with Jude Bellingham scoring deep into stoppage time to settle a match that produced ten goals between two sides still nursing the pain of semi-final defeats.

The third-place play-off, unofficially known as the “Bronze Final”, was played at the Hard Rock Stadium after both nations had been eliminated at the last-four stage — England beaten by Argentina and France undone by Spain. Few expected a dead-rubber fixture to produce such drama, but the sides traded goals throughout before Bellingham’s late intervention settled matters in England’s favour.

A frantic finish in Miami

Venezuelan official Jesus Valenzuela took charge of a contest that swung back and forth, with both managers making wholesale changes to their starting line-ups given there was no trophy at stake. England had been without the injured Reece James for the semi-final defeat, while France entered the match missing Arsenal defender William Saliba, who is facing months out after suffering a back injury against Spain.

With regulars rested or unavailable, both Thomas Tuchel and his French counterpart turned to fringe players and returning squad members. Kobbie Mainoo and Trevoh Chalobah had been waiting for their first minutes of the tournament, while Eberechi Eze, Marcus Rashford, Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney were among those pushing for game time after limited involvement earlier in the competition.

Golden Boot race stays alive

Despite the match carrying no silverware significance beyond third place, it mattered for the race for the Golden Boot, with Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Bellingham himself all still in contention heading into the fixture. Bellingham’s stoppage-time goal, arriving at the end of an end-to-end contest, added another entry to his tournament tally and offered a rare moment of celebration for England after their run was ended by Argentina in the semi-finals.

The result means England finish the tournament in third place, an outcome that will offer some solace to Tuchel after a difficult end to the campaign, while France depart the United States in fourth having also fallen agonisingly short of a place in the final against Spain and Argentina’s conquerors.

Read more: Tuchel confirms he will stay on as England boss until Euro 2028 despite Argentina exit

Coverage of the third-place play-off was carried live on BBC One in the UK, giving domestic audiences the chance to see a chaotic finale to England’s World Cup campaign before attention turns fully to the final between Spain and Argentina.

Sources

• dailymail.com
• WalesOnline

This is an independent report written from the facts across the sources named above.