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

England secured their best World Cup finish 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 racing into a 4-0 lead by half time, courtesy of goals from Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa, as well as a brace from Bukayo Saka.

Didier Deschamps's men fought back valiantly in the second period, reducing the deficit to just one around 20 minutes after the restart, but Saka would go on to complete his hat-trick before Jude Bellingham sealed the win deep into stoppage time.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at how England's third-place playoff triumph over France encapsulated their World Cup 2026 campaign.

England won but were fortunate against France

England emerged victorious against France and signed off with a memorable win at the end of a disappointing tournament.

However, the Three Lions required 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.

Good fortune was a feature of England's summer right from the opening fixture, during which Harry Kane was allowed to retake his missed penalty due to Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic coming off his line.

Tuchel's side were also helped by a number of questionable decisions by the officials in their 0-0 draw with Ghana on June 23, keeping Jordan Pickford on the pitch despite a collision with Prince Adu, and Konsa appearing to commit a thigh-height foul late on that was worthy of a penalty.

Beyond the group stage, the Democratic Republic of Congo were inches away from gaining a two-goal lead in the round of 32, only for Yoane Wissa to hit the outside of the post from close range, something that could have taken the game away from England.

The Three Lions' 2-1 quarter-final win against Norway also saw a goal from Torbjorn Heggem ruled out, not to mention the fact that the ball appeared to hit a camera cable in the buildup to Bellingham's equaliser that day.

All-in-all, it would be fair to say that luck played a major role in England even reaching the semi-final stage to begin with, and winning once again in Saturday's playoff despite being less than solid fits into that pattern.

England were on the brink but Jude Bellingham rescued Three Lions

Both sides gave starts to a number of fringe players this weekend, with England seating Bellingham and Kane on the bench.

Tuchel's side enjoyed an excellent first half, but France were raring to go in the second and looked almost certain to draw level, taking control of the match away from the Three Lions.

However, when Bellingham was substituted on for Eberechi Eze with a little over 10 minutes remaining on the clock, the team regained some semblance of stability.

Les Bleus should have made it 4-4 when Olise fired wide of the post from close range in the 81st minute, but England's newfound impetus saw them earn a penalty for Saka to complete his hat-trick.

Dembele eventually pulled another 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 a slotting home a 98th-minute sealer.

The Real Madrid midfielder's late strike was his seventh at this World Cup, a tally that makes him the player with the most goals for England in any iteration of the tournament, overtaking Gary Lineker's 1986 showing and Kane's 2018 and 2026 campaigns.

One of the most notable aspects of Tuchel's team this summer has been their reliance on their superstar players, a factor best exemplified by the fact that 12 of the Three Lions' 14 goals prior to Saturday were scored by either Kane or Bellingham.

With that in mind, England needing their number 10 to save them from humiliation against France could be said to be emblematic of their World Cup overall.

Thomas Tuchel's England were defensively weak yet again

After England's 4-2 opening win against Croatia, the general feeling was that the team were capable going forward but concerning in defence, an imbalance that reared its head throughout World Cup 2026.

Tuchel's side conceded an early goal in the round of 32 tie with DR Congo, a game that could have gone down as one of the biggest upsets in the tournament's history if not for late heroics by captain Kane.

Likewise, a remarkable piece of last-ditch defending was required from Bellingham to keep England in front at half time in the round of 16 against Mexico, while the team were unable to hold out against Lionel Messi's Argentina in the semi-final.

The Three Lions may have taken third place on Saturday, but the fact that they let in four goals - and should have conceded more - serves as a microcosm of the defensive frailty the team showcased this summer.

If England are to have any chance of ending their more-than-60-year trophy drought at Euro 2028, then they will need to improve their rearguard, especially considering their dire record against the higher-ranked nations.