England took third place at the 2026 World Cup by beating France 6-4 in Miami, in a game that produced the most goals ever seen in a third-place match and the highest-scoring World Cup game since 1982. England led 4-0 at half-time through early goals from Ezri Konsa and Declan Rice plus a Bukayo Saka double; France hit back after the break through Kylian Mbappe twice, Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola, before Saka completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot in the 87th and Jude Bellingham sealed it in stoppage time. Our card ran hot where it counted: the best bet, a Mbappe anytime scorer, cashed twice over, the over and both-teams-to-score lean cashed emphatically, and the England live dog at +280 won outright. The read we got wrong was the headline one, since we made France the side and predicted France 3-1. Mbappe's two goals took him to 10 for the tournament and sole leadership of the Golden Boot race, and to 22 career World Cup goals, passing Lionel Messi as the all-time leading scorer. Messi goes into Sunday's final on eight, needing two to draw level and three to take the Golden Boot outright.
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