Read 4 minutesUpdated: 19 July 2026 07:38 AM IST
The FIFA World Cup third-place playoff, rebranded this year as the bronze medal match, is usually a game you never want to play, and that’s what the head coaches of both England and France said in Saturday’s match in Miami. This was also evident in the way the sides played with little attention to defence, all of which resulted in the match ending in a record-breaking display.
Also read | Saka scored a hat-trick; Mbappe pulled away from Messi in a bona fide thriller
England raced into a 4-0 lead in the first half against a France side that looked a little beaten. The English players themselves celebrated the goal. However, things changed when France came out all guns blazing and reduced England’s lead to one goal in the second half. At the end of the slug fest, both sets of players had big smiles on their faces, as did the fans in the stands who watched the 10-goal thriller. England won it 6-4.
Here’s a look at some of the records that were either broken or equaled in this match:
64 – It was the first time in 64 years that both teams scored four or more goals in a World Cup match. The last time the Soviet Union and Colombia drew 4-4 in the 1962 World Cup.
10 – This is the most goals ever scored in a World Cup third-place playoff match. The previous high was nine by France and West Germany in 1958, in which the French won the game 6–3.
It is also the highest scoring World Cup match in 44 years. The previous highest was Hungary’s 10–1 win over El Salvador in the 1982 World Cup.
Story continues below this ad
22 – Kylian Mbappe scored twice in the match, taking his World Cup tally to 22. He became the all-time top goalscorer in the tournament’s history, a record broken by Lionel Messi at this year’s tournament and held by Germany’s Miroslav Klose before the start of the 2026 World Cup. Even if Messi scores twice for Argentina in Sunday’s final against Spain, he can regain the record, which currently stands at 21 goals.
10 – Mbappe also overtook Messi in the race for the Golden Boot with his brace on Saturday. He is the first player since German great Gerd Müller in 1970 to score 10 goals in a single World Cup. To win the Golden Boot this year, Messi needs to score at least three goals or score two goals and provide an assist in the final.
7 – Michael Ollis had seven assists in this World Cup, the most in six decades. Six records were previously held by Brazilian legend Pele, which he held at the 1970 World Cup.
7 – Jude Bellingham has scored seven goals for the tournament, the most by an England player in a single edition of the World Cup. The previous record was held by Gary Lineker at the 1986 World Cup with six
Story continues below this ad
4 – Bukayo Saka is the fourth England player to score a World Cup hat-trick, joining his captain Harry Kane (2018 group stage v Panama), Lineker (1986 group stage v Poland) and Geoff Hurst (1966 final v West Germany).