Saka’s Hat Trick Lifts England Past Mbappé and France 6-4 in Wild World Cup Third-Place Game
England defeated France 6-4 in the 2026 World Cup third-place match, featuring a hat trick by Bukayo Saka. Despite the high-scoring victory, England coach Thomas Tuchel expressed disappointment at missing the final.
Why it matters
The match set records for scoring in a third-place game and highlighted the competitive nature of top-tier international football.
England and France delivered a thriller in a World Cup match that was supposed to be an afterthought.
A day before Lionel Messi and Argentina were set to try and defend their title in a highly anticipated final, Bukayo Saka scored three goals to lead England past Kylian Mbappé and France 6-4 in a wild third-place game.
Mbappé surpassed Messi's record for World Cup goals, scoring twice in the second half. The 27-year-old star has 22 goals in his career and 10 in this World Cup, two ahead of Messi in the Golden Boot race.
It was the highest-scoring World Cup game since Hungary beat El Salvador 10-1 in 1982, and the 10 goals were the most in a third-place match.
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