France vs. England: How the Three Lions’ third-placed 6-4 win over Les Bleus summed up their 2026 World Cup campaign

England got the best of it World Cup first since 1966 on Saturday, beating France 6-4 in the third-place playoff at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.

Thomas Tuchel’s side shocked Les Bleus by running into a 4-0 lead at the break, with goals from Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa, and Bukayo Saka.

Didier Deschamps’ men fought back valiantly in the second half, reducing the deficit to 20 minutes after the restart, but Saka would go on to complete his hat-trick before Jude Bellingham sealed victory in stoppage time.

Here, Sports mole looks at how England’s victory in third place over France has gathered theirs 2026 World Cup campaign.

England won but were lucky against France

England emerged victorious against France and capped off a disappointing tournament with a memorable win.

However, the Three Lions needed a healthy dose of luck to come out on top against Les Blues, who were wasteful going forward as Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise missed a number of big chances to restore parity.

Luck was part of England’s summer from the opening game, when Harry Kane was allowed to retake a penalty he had missed due to Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic coming off his line.

Tuchel’s team was also helped by many questionable decisions by the officials during their 0-0 draw with Ghana on June 23, keeping Jordan Pickford on the field despite a collision with Prince Adu, while Konsa appeared to play a bad ball on the thigh late on that should have been a penalty.

Beyond the group stage, the Democratic Republic of Congo came within inches of scoring two goals with Yoane Wissa hitting the outside of the near post, which could have put the game away in England.

The Three Lions’ quarter-final against Norway also saw Torbjorn Heggem’s goal ruled out, not to mention the ball appearing to hit the camera cable where Bellingham’s first goal was set up that day.

All in all, it’s safe to say that luck played a big role in England reaching the semi-final stage to begin with, and winning Saturday’s final is a bit too much to match that pattern.

England were on the brink but Jude Bellingham rescued the Three Lions

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Both teams started a number of young players this weekend, England sitting Bellingham and Kane on the bench.

Tuchel’s side enjoyed a superb first half, but France were determined going into the second and looked almost equal, controlling the game away from the Three Lions.

However, when Bellingham was substituted for Eberechi Eze with just over 10 minutes left on the clock, the team regained some composure.

Les Bleus should have won 4-4 when Olise fired wide of the post after a one-two in the box with Dembele in the 81st minute, but England’s renewed momentum allowed them to win a penalty for Saka to complete his hat-trick.

Dembele eventually pulled one back to make it 5-4 in stoppage time, but Bellingham took matters into his own hands, carrying the ball forward from the halfway line and scoring the sealer in the 98th minute.

The Real Madrid midfielder’s late strike was his seventh of the World Cup, a tally that makes him England’s top scorer in any edition of the tournament, surpassing Gary Lineker’s 1986 feat and Kane’s 2018 and 2026 campaigns.

One of the most notable features of Tuchel’s side this summer is their reliance on their star players, something that was well illustrated by the fact that 12 of the Three Lions’ 14 goals before Saturday were scored by either Kane or Bellingham.

With that, England needs number 10 to save them from embarrassment when they face France and it can be said that it is the symbol of all their World Cup matches.

Thomas Tuchel’s England were no longer strong defensively

© Iconsport / PA Images / Icon Sport

After England’s 4-2 win against Croatia, the general feeling was that the team could go further but in terms of defence, something that reared its head throughout the 2026 World Cup.

Tuchel’s side conceded an early goal in the round of 32 tie against DR Congo, a game that could have gone down as one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history had it not been for captain Kane’s heroics.

Likewise, an impressive last-gasp defense was needed from Bellingham for England to stay ahead at half-time in the round of 16 against Mexico, and the team could not withstand Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the semi-final.

The Three Lions may have finished third on Saturday, but the fact they conceded four goals – and should have conceded more – serves as a microcosm of the defensive frailty the team has shown this summer.

If England are to end their more than 60-year trophy drought at Euro 2028, they will need to improve their defence, especially considering their poor record against top-flight nations.