Third place rarely goes down in history. World Cups are remembered for the champions, sometimes for the finalists, but almost never for the bronze medalists. Yet England did just that – turning the third-place match against France into a spectacle that many are already calling the most spectacular match of the 2026 World Cup. The 6:4 victory brought the bronze to the "Three Lions", but it also left one inevitable question: why wasn't this football shown four days earlier against Argentina?
Even before the match, the English media emphasized that this match was a chance for redemption after the painful elimination by Argentina. After the final whistle, there was talk of something else – for the best football England has played in the tournament.
This is where the big dilemma surrounding Thomas Tuchel comes in.
In the semi-final against Argentina, the German specialist chose an overly cautious approach. England started the match with more fear of losing than desire to win it. After the break, instead of reinforcing the team's strengths, Tuchel changed the structure of the game in an attempt to preserve the result. The change of rhythm and rearrangement of the lineup destroyed the balance that the English had gradually found, and Argentina punished the hesitation and came to a 2-1 turnaround.
Against France, everything was different.
Without the tension of the semi-final, without the fear of failure, England played the way its supporters had been waiting for years. High press, constant changes of position, aggression from the first pass of the opponent, speed on the flanks and constant movement between the lines. This was modern European football.
By half-time the score was 4-0, and France looked completely demoralized.
Yes, the French brought back the intrigue in the second half, but this was more a consequence of England's relaxation and serious defensive errors on both teams than a sign of a change in superiority.
Bukayo Saka was particularly impressive, scoring a hat-trick and becoming a symbol of free English football. Next to him, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and the rest showed an intensity that was missing against Argentina.
France also had its reasons for disappointment.
Didier Deschamps' defense was unusually disorganized, the lines between the midfielders and defenders were constantly torn, and the English players used every available space. This was Deschamps' last match as national coach after nearly 14 years at the helm of the "roosters". A new era is ahead, in which the national team will be led by Zinedine Zidane – the man who built one of the most successful versions of Real Madrid in the last decade.
And despite the defeat, Kylian Mbappe once again showed why he remains the biggest individual star in world football.
His two goals made him the sole scorer No. 1 in the history of the World Cups with a total of 22 goals at the moment (note – after him is Lionel Messi with 21 goals, but the final Argentina - Spain is tonight), ten of which came at this World Cup alone. Michael Oliseh also made history with his seventh assist, equaling a record previously held by Pele.
Yet it was England who were the big winners.
Paradoxically, their strongest match turned out to be the one that did not carry a title.
The bronze medals can hardly erase the disappointment of missing out on the final, but they showed something far more important - that this English team has the potential to play modern, bold and dominant football.
Only one question remains: If England had come out with the same courage against Argentina, wouldn't they be the ones preparing for the world final today, and not the third-place match?