England 6-4 France: Saka Hat Trick, Mbappe Passes Messi at the 2026 World Cup

England beat France 6-4 in the 2026 World Cup third-place match, a 10-goal record breaker that gave the Three Lions their best World Cup finish since winning it all in 1966. Bukayo Saka scored a hat trick, Kylian Mbappe scored twice to pass Lionel Messi as the all-time leading men's World Cup scorer, and the two combined for the most goals in a single World Cup game since 1982.

It was a bronze final that looked settled at the break and then very nearly was not. England led 4-0 at halftime and needed every one of those goals to survive a second-half France onslaught.

How England Built a 4-0 Lead

Declan Rice set the tone in the third minute with a curling strike from distance, then delivered the corner that Ezri Konsa headed home soon after. Saka took over from there, first tapping in from Marcus Rashford's unselfish pass, then finishing brilliantly from the edge of the box to make it 4-0 by halftime. Tuchel's side had the match, on paper, in 45 minutes.

France came out of the interval a different team. Mbappe pulled one back in the 48th minute, then turned provider as Bradley Barcola cut the deficit to 4-2 in the 54th. In the 66th minute, Mbappe struck again to make it 4-3, and with that goal he officially moved past Messi to become the all-time leading scorer in men's World Cup history.

The Finish, and the Records

England steadied. Djed Spence won a penalty off Malo Gusto's challenge in the 87th minute, and Saka buried it to complete his hat trick and restore the two-goal cushion at 5-3. Ousmane Dembele answered with a stoppage-time finish to make it 5-4 and give France a pulse, before substitute Jude Bellingham had the final word, scoring the game's 10th goal in the closing seconds. That strike was Bellingham's seventh of the tournament, a record for the most goals by an England player at a major tournament.

The 6-4 result was the highest-scoring third-place match in World Cup history and the most goals in any World Cup game since 1982. For England, third place is the headline; since 1966, they had never finished higher.

Betting Impact: The Golden Boot Race Flips Before the Final

The result reshaped the Golden Boot market ahead of Sunday's final. Mbappe's brace pushed him to 10 goals for the tournament, and because France's World Cup is now over, that total is locked. He is the first player since Gerd Muller in 1970 to score more than eight goals at a single men's World Cup, and he sits clear of Messi, who has eight, per ESPN's Golden Boot tracker.

That sets up a clean prop for the Spain vs Argentina final. Messi needs two goals on Sunday just to draw level at 10, and even then the FIFA tiebreakers do not favor him. Messi and Mbappe are tied on four assists each, so a two-goal final would leave them level on goals and assists, and the next tiebreaker is fewest minutes played, which Mbappe wins the moment Messi finishes the match. To take the Golden Boot outright, Messi realistically needs three goals, or two goals plus an assist, in what may be his last World Cup match. Anyone holding a Messi Golden Boot ticket needs a monster final, not just a brace, while Mbappe backers are betting the field stays quiet. Price any Messi multi-goal or goal-plus-assist prop against that context rather than the pre-tournament number.

For the final itself, the third-place match is a reminder that knockout soccer at this tournament has not been low-scoring theater. Ten goals in a dead rubber is noise, but it is worth weighing against any heavy under lean on Sunday.

What to Watch Next

The 2026 World Cup ends Sunday with Spain vs Argentina at MetLife Stadium, and it doubles as the Golden Boot decider. Watch whether Messi is deployed to chase goals or to control the game, because Spain's defense, unbeaten and stingy all tournament, may make the individual chase academic. Either way, Mbappe has set the mark and can only watch.

Chad AI tracks every World Cup prop, Golden Boot swing and final-line move inside the StatSniper app. The soccer predictions hub has the model's read on the final, and the Chad picks hub covers the rest of the board. For the title-match breakdown, see our Spain vs Argentina final preview. Match details are at ESPN.

FAQ

What was the score in the France vs England third-place match? England won 6-4. It was the highest-scoring third-place match in World Cup history and the most goals in any World Cup game since 1982.

Did Mbappe break the World Cup scoring record? Yes. Mbappe's second goal, in the 66th minute, moved him past Lionel Messi to become the all-time leading scorer in men's World Cup history.

Who leads the 2026 World Cup Golden Boot race? Mbappe leads with 10 goals, and his total is final because France are out. Messi has eight, and two goals in the final only draws him level and loses the minutes tiebreaker, so he realistically needs three goals, or two plus an assist, to win it.

What was England's finish at the 2026 World Cup? Third place, their best World Cup result since winning the tournament in 1966. Jude Bellingham's late goal was his seventh of the tournament, an England record for a major tournament.

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