The third-place match delivered more drama than anyone had a right to expect — and now, just hours later, the whole tournament comes down to one game at MetLife.
Yesterday's Results
England 6–4 France (Third-place match) — ESPN / AP
Nobody wanted to play this game. France manager Didier Deschamps said as much beforehand, and his side came out looking like it. England — resting Kane, Bellingham, and Pickford — went 4–0 up inside the first half through Declan Rice's third-minute screamer, a header from Ezri Konsa, and a rapid-fire Bukayo Saka brace. Then France woke up. A quadruple substitution at halftime brought on Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola, and Kylian Mbappé — who had looked disinterested — suddenly became the story of the match. He scored twice in the second half, the second a left-footed strike from 14 yards that took him past Lionel Messi's career record of 21 World Cup goals. Barcola added another to make it 4–3, and for a stretch England looked genuinely rattled. But Saka held his nerve, converting a late penalty to complete his hat-trick and seal a 6–4 win — the most goals ever in a third-place match, and England's best World Cup finish since 1966. Mbappé ends the tournament with 10 goals and the all-time scoring record. Saka ends it with a hat-trick in a bronze final. Not bad for a consolation prize.
Today's Fixtures
Brazil vs. Norway (Round of 16)
The Reference Facts list this match as in progress — check your preferred live source for the latest score and updates as this one may still be unfolding.
Around the Tournament
Mbappé makes history, but the Golden Boot race is his. Mbappé's two goals in the third-place match moved him to 10 goals in this tournament and 22 in his World Cup career, breaking Messi's all-time record of 21. With Messi on 8 goals in 2026, the Golden Boot is Mbappé's barring something extraordinary in tonight's final. ESPN
Thunderstorms threaten final preparations. Spain and Argentina both had their training plans disrupted by thunderstorms ahead of tonight's final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, according to Reuters — a small but fitting piece of chaos to close out a tournament that has rarely gone to script. Reuters
The Falklands banner row rumbles on. A banner reading "Las Malvinas Son Argentinas" displayed during Argentina's run has drawn a response from Downing Street, with calls for FIFA to investigate — and the White House has weighed in to defend the Argentine team. The incident adds a charged political undercurrent to tonight's final, whether or not anyone on the pitch is thinking about it. BBC Sport
Tonight at MetLife, Spain and Argentina settle it. Lamine Yamal against Lionel Messi — the teenager who was photographed as a baby in Messi's arms, now facing him in a World Cup final. If this tournament has had a theme, it's been the passing of something from one generation to the next. Tonight we find out who holds it.