Miami [US]: England midfielder Jude Bellingham scripted history at the FIFA World Cup 2026, finishing as the highest-scoring England player in a single World Cup edition after taking his tally to seven goals in the Three Lions' 6-4 victory over France in the third-place playoff.
Bellingham found the net in stoppage time against France to register his seventh goal of the tournament, surpassing all previous England players for the most goals scored in a single FIFA World Cup edition, according to ESPN.
England's right winger Bukayo Saka also delivered a record-breaking performance, scoring a hat-trick and netting the 300th goal of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Saka became only the second England player to score a hat-trick in a FIFA World Cup knockout-stage match after Sir Geoff Hurst, who achieved the feat in the 1966 final. He is also only the second player to score a World Cup hat-trick against France after Brazil legend Pele in 1958.
England's third-place finish marked their second-best performance at a FIFA World Cup, behind only their triumph on home soil in 1966, according to Opta Analytics.
Despite France's defeat, winger Michael Olise made history by becoming the first player on record since 1966 to register seven assists in a single FIFA World Cup edition, according to Opta Analytics.
The match also ended goalkeeper Jordan Pickford's remarkable run of consecutive starts for England at major tournaments.
According to Opta Analytics, it was England's first FIFA World Cup or UEFA European Championship match without Pickford in the starting XI since the UEFA Euro 2016 defeat to Iceland, ending his record streak of 33 consecutive starts.
England secured the bronze medal in the FIFA World Cup 2026 after defeating France 6-4 in a breathtaking, record-breaking 10-goal thriller at the Miami Stadium on Saturday (local time). Notably, the defeat also spoiled Didier Deschamps' farewell, bringing the legendary coach's 14-year tenure as France manager to a disappointing end.
In what will go down as the highest-scoring third-place play-off in modern tournament history, Bukayo Saka's magnificent hat-trick overcame Kylian Mbappe's brace and powered the Three Lions to their best World Cup finish on foreign soil since 1966.
England took absolute control of the first half, leaving Les Bleus shell-shocked with an unprecedented 4-0 lead before the interval. Declan Rice opened the scoring just three minutes into the game, before defender Ezri Konsa doubled the advantage in the 18th minute. Bukayo Saka then took centre stage, netting twice in quick succession (37', 45+1') to mark the first time France has ever conceded four goals in a single half of World Cup football.
However, the second half saw a dramatic shift in momentum. Facing his 187th and final match in charge of France, manager Didier Deschamps rang in tactical substitutions at halftime that sparked a furious French resurrection.
Mbappe led the charge, striking in the 48th minute before Bradley Barcola added a second just six minutes later to make it 4-2. When Mbappe struck again in the 66th minute to bring France within one goal, England looked completely rattled under relentless waves of attack.
Notably, with his second goal, Mbappe created history by overtaking Lionel Messi to become the highest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history. The brace took Mbappe's World Cup tally to 22 goals, moving him one clear of Messi's 21.
Just as the game seemed to be slipping away from Thomas Tuchel's men, England found their relief. A late counter-attack resulted in an 87th-minute penalty, which Saka calmly converted to complete his hat-trick and restore breathing room at 5-3.
The drama spilt deep into stoppage time as Ousmane Dembele clawed one back for France in the 90+6th minute, but Jude Bellingham put the final exclamation point on the historic night, scoring in the 90+8th minute to seal the extraordinary 6-4 victory for England to cap their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign on a high.
(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
